tME 


mimm 


VVRi™GS 


miX^NDREOUMAS 


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LIBRARY 


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i 


THE  LIFE    AND   WRITINGS    OF 
ALEXANDRE    DUMAS 


ft 

r 


ALEXANDRE    DUMAS    PERK. 


THE 

LIFE    AND    WRITINGS 


OF 


ALEXANDRE    DUMAS 

(1802-1870) 


BY 

HARRY  A.  SPURR 

AUTHOR   OF    "a   COCKNEV    IN   ARCADIA,  "   ETC, 


WITH  MANY  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW    YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES,  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


'^Wlf^n 


^  flOOI/l 


Copyright,  1902, 
By  harry  a.  SPURR. 


I'liblisheil  ill  October,  190* 


THE   OUTCOME   OF   MANY   YEARS   OF   LOVING    STUDY, 

IS   RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED 

TO 

MADAME  DUMAS  yf/^, 

IN    (iRATEFUL   RECOGNITION     OF    HER 
SYMPATHY   AND    HELP. 


21658 


PREFACE 

The  centenary  of  the  birth  of  Alexandre  Dumas 
pere  occurred  in  July  of  this  year.  As  no  satis- 
factory "  Life  "  of  the  great  Frenchman  exists  in 
English,  this  was  thought  an  appropriate  moment 
for  giving  the  public,  with  whom  his  romances  are  so 
popular,  an  account  of  Dumas's  life,  character,  and 
writings,  which  should  be  both  interesting  to  the 
ordinary  reader,  and  trustworthy  as  a  book  of 
reference.  The  author  has  endeavoured  to  tell  the 
general  reader — "  the  man  in  the  public  library  " — 
who  Dumas  was,  what  he  did,  which  books  he  did 
write  and  v/hich  he  did  not  write,  and  finally,  what 
his  confrh'es  and  the  great  critics  have  said  of  him. 

One  or  two  points  may  be  dealt  with  here,  by 
way  of  anticipating  obvious  criticism.  The  first 
relates  to  the  omission  from  the  following  pages  of 
the  spiteful  libels  of  MM.  "  de  Mirecourt,"  de  Cas- 
sagnac,  etc.  It  is  almost  impossible  at  this  date  for 
any  one,  particularly  an  Englishman,  to  take  the 
circumstantial  alleofations  of  these  o-entlemen  and 
refute  them  in  detail.  It  is  now  over  sixty  years 
since  they  were  made  :  they  had  their  source  in 
admitted    enmity,    and    their   medium    was    equally 

vii 


VI 11 


PREFACE 


contemptible.  Dumas  ignored  them  ;  his  colleagues 
in  the  higher  ranks  of  literature  discredited  them ; 
his  enemies  accepted  them  willingly,  without  de- 
manding proof.  "  M.  de  Mirecourt"  was  sentenced 
to  imprisonment  for  publishing  his  statements ;  but 
their  improbability  is  still  stronger  proof  of  their 
falseness.  When  Dumas's  "collaborators"  denied 
the  allegations  made  "on  their  behalf,"  "  M.  de 
Mirecourt"  impudently  accused  them  of  having 
allowed  Dumas  to  dictate  their  denials  ;  when  he 
"  proved "  Dumas's  illiteracy,  by  an  anecdote  in 
which  he  cited  M.  Maquet  in  support,  that  gentle- 
man promptly  gave  the  libeller  the  lie! 

We  make  no  apology  for  dwelling  on  this  point, 
for  the  charges  of  this  M.  Jacquot  have  been 
accepted  almost  universally  as  the  truth.  Ouerard 
cites  the  gentleman  with  obvious  complacency ; 
Larousse  in  his  "  Dictionnaire "  quotes  him  con- 
stantly, and  Mr  Fitzgerald  condemns  the  man's 
testimony  almost  as  often  as  he  makes  use  of  it. 
Mr  Henley's  article  in  Chambers's  "  Encyclopaedia" 
is  probably  the  only  biographical  account  of  Dumas 
which  is  trustworthy.  That  in  the  ninth  edition  of 
the  "  Encyclopaedia  Britannica  "  is  by  Mr  Fitzgerald. 

Of  M.  Ouerard,  who  in  his  "Supercheries  "  proves 
to  his  own  satisfaction  that  with  one  or  two  insig- 
nificant exceptions  Dumas  never  wrote  anything  at 
all,   it   is   sufficient  to  point  out  that  he  considered 


PREFACE  ix 

that  author  as  merely  "  a  clever  arranger  of  the 
thouehts  of  others."  When  a  new  edition  of  the 
**  Supercheries  "  was  issued,  the  exposds  of  M. 
Ouerard,  which  stopped  at  1S4S,  were  not  con- 
tinued, and  the  editors  formally  expressed  their 
recrret  that  the  yireat  writer  had  received  such  treat- 
ment  from  the  critic.  They  further  hinted  that 
only  a  determination  to  use  the  material  of  the  first 
edition  of  the  work  in  its  entirety  prevented  them 
from  dealing  with  M.  Ouerard's  accusations. 

We  have  referred  to  Mr  Fitzgerald.  His  "  Life 
and  Adventures  of  Alexander  Dumas  "  was  written 
shortly  after  the  novelist's  death,  is  now  forgotten, 
and  is  probably  out  of  print.  This  relieves  us  from 
the  necessity  of  saying  more  than  that  Mr  Lang 
in  his  "  Essays  in  Little,"  Mr  Brander  Matthews 
in  his  "  French  Novelists,"  Mr  W.  H.  Pollock  in 
the  Nineteenth  Century,  Mr  A.  B.  Walkley  in 
"  Playhouse  Impressions,"  and  others,  have  all  con- 
demned the  book  as  being  inaccurate  and  unworthy 
of  the  subject  and  the  writer.  A  great  change  has 
taken  place  in  the  literary  estimation  of  Dumas 
during  the  past  thirty  years  ;  and  it  is  our  aim  to 
convey  this  desirable  revolution  in  opinion  to  the 
mind  of  the  ordinary  reader. 

Consistent  with  the  declaration  made  above,  we 
have  itrnored  the  charo-es  brouo-ht  against  Dumas 
with  reference  to  his  attitude  toward  Louis  Philippe 


X  PREFACE 

The  ex-employee  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans  is  accused 
of  having  alternately  abused  and  fawned  upon  that 
dignitary  when  he  became  king.  We  prefer  to  take 
the  responsibility  of  suppressing  the  allegations 
respecting  this  episode  in  Dumas's  career  as  utterly 
at  variance  with  his  practice  and  his  nature. 

Another  omission  requires  explanation.  We 
have  dealt  with  the  plays  of  Dumas,  so  far  as  they 
affected  his  career,  in  Part  I.;  we  have  touched  on 
them  in  general  terms  in  other  portions  of  the 
book  ;  but  have  refrained  from  dealing  with  them 
at  all  extensively.  The  general  reader  of  the 
English-speaking  public  does  not  know  Dumas's 
plays,  and  has  had  no  opportunity  of  seeing  them 
or  of  reading  them,  therefore  one  cannot  hope 
to  interest  him  in  them  ;  and  at  the  risk  of  throwinsf 
the  subject  out  of  its  proper  proportion  we  have 
omitted  to  treat  them  fully.  To  those  who  do 
know  and  appreciate  him  as  a  dramatist,  we  can 
recommend  "  Le  Drame  clA.  Dumas "  by  M,  H. 
Parigot,  published  by  Calmann-Levy. 

There  is  a  general  confusion  in  books  of  reference 
concerning  the  year  of  Dumas's  birth.  As  Glinel 
shows,  by  reproducing  the  certificate  of  birth,  the 
author  was  born  in    1S02. 

The  author  has  tried  to  make  his  book  as  accurate 
as  possible,  but  the  task  has  been  difficult,  as  no 
impartial  and  complete  biography  of  Dumas  exists, 


PREFACE  xi 

even  in  French.  He  will  therefore  be  grateful  to 
any  critic,  friendly  or  otherwise,  who  will  point  out 
any  errors  of  fact  in  the  text. 

Note. — My  thanks  are  due  to  Madame  Dumas 
Jils  for  her  kind  assistance  ;  to  M.  D'Hauterive,  her 
son-in-law,  for  similar  kindness  ;  to  Mr  Lang-,  Mr 
W.  M.  Rossetti  and  Mr  Swinburne  for  courteous 
replies  to  inquiries ;  to  Mr  Robert  Garnett  for 
valuable  advice  and  help  ;  to  M.M.  Calmann-Levy 
for  information  given  ;  to  Mr  F.  M.  Duncan  for  his 
photographs  of  illustrations  in  the  British  Museum 
Library ;  and  to  W.  E.  Roch,  secretary  of  the 
Villers-Cotterets  Centenary  Fetes  Committee. 


CONTENTS 


Dedicatio.v 

Prefack  . 

List  ok  iLLusxRAiiONS 


Vll 


I'ART  I. 

HIS  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 

Birth,  Manhood  and  Early  Successes  (1802-30) 
The  Reign  o.f  Dumas  I.  (1830-48)    . 
Wanderings,  Decline  and  Death  (1848-70) 


40 
94 


Character 


His  Writings    . 


PART  II. 
HIS  WRITINGS 


183 


A  Defence 

A  Counterclaim 


PART  III. 

HIS  c;enius 


273 
309 


Xlll 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


APPENDICES 

A.  History  and  Fiction  :   a  Comparison 

B.  Chronology  of  Dumas's  Life    . 

C.  Tabular  Analysis  of  Dumas's  Writings 

D.  List  of  Books  Consulted 

Index       ...... 


PAGE 

351 
355 

357 
373 
577 


LIST  OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Alexandre  Dumas  pere  .  .  .  Frontispiece 

House  in  which  Dumas  was  Born,  Villers-Cotterets  8 

Dumas  IN  1828   {from  a  drawing  •s.w 'D'^y^^w)      .            .  30 

Portrait  of  Dumas,  after  Maurin        ...  36 

DuMAS's  Theatre,  the  "  Historique  "  .            .            .  86 

Alexandre  DuMAS_/f/y        .....  108 

Title-Pageof  "NouvELLES  Contemporaixes  "            .  185 

"  D'Artagnan  "  (/r<7w///^  DoRE  statue,  Paris).            .  209 

The  Dumas  Monument  by  Dore,  Paris             .           .  342 


PART    I 

HIS  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 

Birth,  Manhood  and  Early  Successes  (1S02-30) — The  Rlign 
OF  Dumas  I.  (1830-48)— Wanderings,  Decline  and  Death 
( I S4S-70)— Character 


l-RO.M     BlRTII    TO    ^IaXIIOOD     AM)    FaMH    (1802-30) 

\\\  like  Defoe,  we  were  about  to  offer  fiction  in  the 
Louise  of  biography,  instead  of  biography  in  a  more 
or  less  romantic  form,  we  should  be  tempted  to  pre- 
face the  story  of  Dumas  with  one  of  those  elaborate 
sub-titles  in  which  the  author  of  "  Robinson  Crusoe  " 
delighted.  It  would  probably  run  somewhat  in 
this  fashion,  if  we  allowed  ourselves  to  prepare 
one,  which  of  course  we  do  not : — 

'' The  life  and  adventures  of  Alexandre  Du- 
mas of  the  World,  loho  i^^as  both  a  blaekand 
a  lohite  man  ;  a  Royalist  and  a  Republiean, 
an  aristocrat  and  a  sans-culotte  ;  loho  took 
part  in  three  revolutions,  and  made  three 
different  reputations  ;  who  wrote  more  books 
than  any  other  man  livino^  or  dead,  who 
ereeted  two  ''  Monte  Cristas f  one  of  which 
made  his  fortune  and  the  other  of  which 
unmade  it ;  who  enriched  the  world  and  was 
poor  all  his  life  ;  toorther  with  an  account 
of  his  exploits  as  dramatist,  romancer,  trav- 
eller, politician,  wit,  journalist,  diplomat ist, 
soldier,  lecturer,  cook,  historian,  poet,  etci' 


4  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  t)F 

Before  this  Alexander  entered  the  world  he  was 
about  to  conquer,  much  was  already  his  own  by 
inheritance.  He  was  born  into  the  atmosphere 
of  fiery  light  and  fierce  heat  which  the  Revolution 
had  left  behind  it.  He  was  destined  to  possess  a 
good  share  of  blue  and  of  black  blood,  for  his  grand- 
father was  no  other  than  the  Marquis  Antoine- 
Alexandre  Davy  de  la  Pailleterie,  a  French  noble- 
man, self-exiled  to  San  Domingo,  and  his  grand- 
mother was  a  negro-woman,  Louise-Cessette 
Dumas.  It  was  a  romantically  ill-assorted  match, 
full  of  interesting  possibilities.  The  son  of  this 
marriage  threw  over  parentage  and  aristocracy, 
enlisted  in  the  French  army  as  a  private  under 
his  mother's  name,  and  at  thirty-one  years  of  age 
had  risen  to  the  rank  of  general.  Times  and  cir- 
cumstances were  both  fruitful  and  portentous — 
for  they  were  leading  up  to  the  birth  of  our 
hero. 

In  1 790  the  swarthy  young  Republican  Hercules, 
being  stationed  at  Villers-Cotterets,  a  little  town  on 
the  high  road  from  Paris  to  Laon,  fell  in  love  with 
an  innkeeper's  daughter  there,  and  duly  married 
heron  the  28th  of  November,  1792.  Thus  when 
Alexandre  was  born,  ten  years  later  (on  the  24th 
July,  1802,  to  be  exact),  he  was  a  quadroon,  and 
dowered  at  birth  with  many  of  the  characteristics, 
good    and    bad,   of    the  African   race — the  ardent. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  5 

imaj^inative  temperament,  the  levity  of  nature,  the 
Impulsive  soul — a  host  of  qualities  which  were 
strange  to  the  comprehension  of  both  friends  and 
enemies  in  after-life ;  because  side  by  side  with 
them  were  all  the  native  characteristics  of  the 
Frenchman,  existent  in  full  vigour. 

All  his  life  Dumas  was  taunted  with  his  negro 
descent  ;  the  caricaturists  and  lampooners,  with 
execrable  taste,  made  the  crisp  hair  and  lean 
calves  of  the  quadroon  the  subject  of  innumerable 
gibes.  "  Blackwood  "  tells  us  that  a  person  more 
remarkable  for  inquisitiveness  than  for  correct 
breeding  once  took  the  liberty  to  question  the 
romancer  rather  closely  concerning  his  genea- 
logical tree. 

"You  are  a  quadroon,  ]\I.   Dumas  ?  "  he  began. 

"  I  am,  sir,"  replied  the  author,  who  had  sense 
enough  not  to  be  ashamed  of  a  descent  he  could 
not  conceal. 

"  And  your  father  ?  .   .   ." 

"  Was  a  mulatto." 

"  And  your  grandfather  ?" 

"  A  negro,"  hastily  answered  Dumas,  whose 
patience  was  waning  fast — too  fast  for  him  to 
trouble  about  accuracy. 

"  And  may  I  enquire  what  your  great-grand- 
father was  ?  " 

"  An  ape,  sir  !  "  thundered  the  great  man — "  an 


6  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

ape,  sir.  My  pedigree  commences  where  yours 
terminates  !  " 

Dumas's  title  of  Marquis  was  another  favourite 
topic  for  the  malice  of  his  enemies.  It  was  asserted 
that  he  was  not  truly  "  De  la  Pailleterie,"  because 
his  grandparents  w^ere  not  married.  Mr.  Fitzgerald 
repeated  this  assertion  ;  but  M.  Parigot  '•'  refutes  it. 
"  Son  grandpere  paternel  .  .  .  avait  cpousc  une 
negresse  Marie-Cessette  {^sic)  Dumas,  decedee  en 
Amerique,  a  la  Guinodee,  en  1772."  Although 
the  legitimate  holder  of  the  title  after  his  father's 
death,  Dumas  never  but  once  in  his  life  alluded 
publicly  to  it ;  that  indiscretion  was  absurdly  mag- 
nified, and  the  truth  of  the  statement  was  doubted. 
Yet  (says  Janin)  when  M.  Theodore  Anne,  in  his 
researches  concerning  the  cross  of  St.  Louis,  dis- 
covered the  origin  of  the  La  Pailleteries,  and  proved 
them  to  be  indisputably  noble,  Dumas  said  simply, 
"  I  knew  it."  His  son  for  his  part  said,  "  I  did  not 
know  it."  Such  was  the  pride  of  the  father  and  the 
son.      But  to  return. 

The  first  of  three  Alexanders — Mr.  A.  B. 
Walkley  has  dubbed  him  "  Alexandre  the  greatest  " 
— was  a  true  Frenchman,  an  ardent  Republican,  a 
brilliant  soldier,  and  an  honest  man.  The  son,  who 
was  apt,  at  times,  to  decorate  his  facts  with  a 
gorgeous  edge  of  appropriate  fiction,  seems  to  have 

*  Alexandre  Dumas  Pere  f"  Les  Grands  I'.crivains  Fran^ais  "). 


ALKXANDilE  DUMAS  7 

clone  no  more  than  justice  to  liis  father,  in  tlie 
proud  appreciations  contained  in  his  "  Memoires." 
Tliose  who  are  incredulous  respecting  the  wildly 
heroic  deeds  of  the  four  ^lusketeers  should  read 
General  Dermoncourt's  account  of  how  Dumas 
kept  the  l^rido^e  of  Clausen  single-handed,  against 
the  Austrians — an  act  which  gained  that  hero  the 
name  of  "  the  Horatius  of  the  Tyrol  "  ;  or  the  story 
of  that  terrible  night  assault  of  the  fort  at  Mont 
Cenis,  when  the  General  led  three  hundred  soldiers 
up  an  ice-wall.  "  Every  man  who  falls,"  said 
Dumas  curtl)-,  "must  understand  beforehand  that 
he  is  a  dead  man, — that  nothing  can  save  him. 
It  will  be  useless  then  to  cry  out — and  b)'  so  doing 
he  may  give  the  alarm,  and  ruin  our  chances." 
Three  men,  so  the  son  tells  us,  did  fall  ;  and  their 
bodies  dropped  into  the  darkness,  bounding  from 
crag  to  crag.  But  not  a  cry  was  heard — not  a 
moan — not  a  siofh  ! 

When  General  Dumas's  Republicanism  brought 
him  into  conflict  with  Bonaparte's  ever-increasing 
ambition,  he  turned  his  back  on  the  Egyptian 
campaign,  and  set  sail  for  France.  Unhappily, 
the  ship  was  obliged  to  put  into  Tarentum,  and 
the  Frenchmen  were  thrown  into  prison.  The 
General's  account  of  his  strucrcrle  a^rainst  the  in- 
sidious  manoeuvres  of  his  jailers,  who  tried  to  poison 
him  with  food  and  with  medicine,  is  a  terribly  en- 


8  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

thralling  one,  and  inclines  one  to  believe  in  heredity, 
for  it  is  told  with  all  that  artless  art  of  which  the 
son,  in  after  years,  became  such  a  master. 

Our  readers  may  think  that  we  are  as  uncon- 
scionably tedious  in  getting  our  hero  born,  as 
Charles  II.  could  possibly  have  been  in  accom- 
plishing the  opposite  process  ;  and  we  will  therefore 
hasten  to  quote  the  following  historic  document — 
a  letter  written  by  General  Dumas  to  his  brother 
General,  Brune  : — 

"  I  am  glad  to  tell  you  that  my  wife  gave  birth 
yesterday  morning  to  a  fine  boy,  who  weighs  nine 
pounds,  and  is  eighteen  inches  long.  You  can  guess 
that  if  he  continues  to  grow  in  the  outer  world  in 
the  same  proportion  as  he  has  done  in  the  inner, 
he  promises  to  be  a  good  size  ! " 

But  a  sad,  brief  fatherhood  was  in  store  for  the 
proud  parent.  The  effects  of  his  two  years'  struggle 
in  a  Neapolitan  prison,  against  poison  and  persecu- 
tion, beean  to  show  themselves  in  the  soldier's 
constitution.  He  took  a  journey  to  Paris  to  consult 
a  specialist,  and  learning  his  fate,  set  to  work  to 
secure  the  good-will  of  his  comrades  there  on  behalf 
of  the  future  widow.  The  little  three-year-old 
went  too,  rode  cock-horse  with  the  sword  of  Marshal 
Brude,  whilst  wearing  the  hat  of  Murat,  King  of 
Naples.      At   last   even  the   boy  became  conscious 


,\       >- 


HOUSE    WHEKK    DLMAS    WAS    BoKN,    VILLKKS-CUTTEKKTS. 


ALEXANDRE  DUxMAS  9 

of  the  shadow  that  had  fallen  on  the  household. 
"My  father,"  he  wrote  in  after  years,  "grew  very 
weak,  went  out  less  often,  niore  rarely  mounted  his 
horse,  kept  his  room  for  longer  periods,  took  me 
more  sadly  on  his  knees." 

Then  the  broken-hearted  General,  refused  all 
redress  by  his  old  colleague  the  Emperor,  died, 
suffering,  and  in  poverty,  and  greatly  troubling  for 
those  he  left  behind.  The  widow,  in  spite  of  her 
prayers  and  tears,  in  spite  of  her  husband's  brilliant 
services  to  France,  in  spite  of  the  intercession  of 
soldiers  as  brilliant — Dumas's  own  friends  and 
colleagues — failed  to  obtain  a  pension  from  the 
Emperor.  Not  a  sou  would  Napoleon  grant,  to 
keep  from  starvation  the  widow  of  the  man  who 
had  once  dared  to  foresee  and  condemn  the  ambiti- 
ous Emperor,  in  the  "  patriot,"  General  Bonaparte. 

And  now  there  began  for  both  widow  and  son 
a  life  of  cruel  poverty,  a  time  of  humiliation 
sweetened  only  by  the  affection  of  the  mother  for 
the  son,  and  the  son  for  the  mother. 

The  widow  went  back  to  her  father's  house  with 
her  children,  and  Alexandre  began  his  life-educa- 
tion. Of  these  early  days  he  has  gossipped  very 
pleasantly,  telling  us  of  the  three  houses  which  he 
visited,  that  of  Madame  Darcourt,  where  he  rejoiced 
his  heart  with  an  illustrated  copy  of  "  Buffon,"  and 
of    M.    Collard,  who  owned    two    treasures,  a  big 


10  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Bible  and  a  little  park,  both  ot  which  the  youthful 
Alexandre  learnt  almost  by  heart.  For  mythology, 
too,  the  boy  had  a  childish  passion  ;  and  "  Robinson 
Crusoe  "(!)  gave  him  his  geography.  "And  so," 
he  writes,  "  when  five  or  six  years  of  age,  I  possessed 
these  two  accomplishments  (reading  and  writing) 
in  a  superior  degree,  a  fact  which  made  me 
wondrously  conceited.  I  can  still  see  myself,  about 
the  height  of  a  jack-boot,  and  in  a  little  cotton 
jacket,  taking  part,  with  the  utmost  precocity,  in 
the  conversation  of  grown-up  people,  and  con- 
tributing thereto  my  store  of  knowledge,  profane 
and  sacred." 

The  memory  of  these  early  days  was  alwa)-s 
dear  to  our  Dumas,  and  he  loved  to  dwell  upon 
them,  and  introduce  them  and  reintroduce  them 
into  his  books.  He  tell  us  that  the  places,  sur- 
roundings, people  and  events  of  these  days  all 
had  their  influence  on  his  writings  and  character, 
and  those  who  care  to  pursue  the  subject  will  find 
traces  of  these  times  in  "  Ange  Pitou,"  "  Catherine 
Blum,"  "Conscience  I'Enfant,"  and  other  books. 

The  descriptions  of  these  early  days,  as  given 
in  the  "  Memoires,"  are  full  of  delicate  humour  and 
charm.  Dumas  tells  us  of  the  old  chateau,  and 
its  park,  in  which  he  revelled,  and  draws  a  lifelike 
portrait  of  his  august  relative  M.  Deviolaine,  a  man 
who  had  indeed  "a  stern  look  but  a  o-entle  heart." 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  il 

That  gentleman's  daughter,  Ceciha,  was  one  of 
the  boy's  favourite  playmates.  Dumas,  then  as 
always,  had  a  great  tendency  to  vertigo,  and  the 
mischievous  girl  delighted  in  trapping  him  into  some 
such  peril.  Once  during  their  rompings  the  youth- 
ful Alexandre  fell  into  a  pond,  and  ran  the  risk  of 
drowning :  the  occasion  prompted  his  first  mot, 
which  if  it  was  not  very  witty,  at  least  showed  the 
lad's  coolness  and  gaiety.  He  tells  an  amusing 
story  of  an  adventure  which  befell  him  about  this 
time.  He  and  a  companion  were  fighting  outside 
a  grocer's  shop,  and  Dumas  was  unluckily  pushed 
into  a  tub  of  honey.  The  grocer,  who  was  busy 
at  work  inside,  with  a  knife  in  his  hand,  ran  after 
the  terrified  boy,  who  imagined  that  something 
worse  than  the  fate  of  the  blind  mice  was  about 
to  happen  to  him.  The  grocer  overtook  his  victim, 
threw  him  down,  raised  his  knife  .  .  .  and  care- 
fully scraped  the  honey  off  the  trembling  youngster's 
trousers. 

Alexandre's  first  day  at  school  was  an  eventful 
one.  According  to  the  brutal  custom  of  the  times 
he  was  subject  to  a  series  of  practical  jokes  of  a 
rough  and  painful  nature.  The  schoolmaster  found 
the  new  boy  crying,  and  guessing  the  truth,  punished 
the  boys  for  such  cruelty  to  a  newcomer.  Alexandre 
foresaw  a  warm  reception  outside  when  school  was 
over,    and    his    heart   sank    at   the   prospect.       He 


12  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

determined  to  face  the  situation,  since  there  was 
no  help  for  it,  and  assuming  a  boldness  which  he 
certainly  did  not  feel,  he  accosted  the  first  boy  he 
met  and  challenged  him  to  fight.  Young  Dumas's 
impetuosity  soon  carried  all  before  it ;  his  opponent 
was  thoroughly  beaten,  and  ever  after  that  little 
Alexandre  was  respected  and  let  alone. 

In  due  course  the  boy  was  prepared  to  receive 
his  first  communion,  and  there  naturally  followed 
for  him  a  period  of  religious  exaltation.  He  tells 
us  that  when  the  time  came  he  swooned  from 
excess  of  emotion.  But  Dumas  was  never  one 
on  whom  religion  in  the  narrow  sense  obtained 
any  hold,  and  he  soon  recovered  from  this  morbid 
state  of  ultra-piety.  More  lasting  was  the  love 
of  sport  which  he  acquired  in  his  boyhood.  He 
was  friendly  with  all  the  keepers  and  poachers,  and 
— when  at  last  he  possessed  a  gun  of  his  own — 
did  a  little  sly  shooting  on  his  own  account.  His 
adventures  at  the  boar-hunts  and  other  sporting 
expeditions  in  which  he  was  allowed  to  take  part 
are  told  by  Dumas  with  much  gaiety  and  relish, 
and  his  character-sketches  of  his  companions  are 
drawn  to  the  life. 

Alexandre  was  not  by  any  means  a  studious  boy, 
and  he  watched  with  anxiety  the  various  vain  efforts 
made  to  get  him  into  colleges  set  apart  for  the 
sons  of  officers.     When  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  13 

Seminary  of  Soissons,  he  saw  himself  in  imagina- 
tion ''tin  pre t re  inalgrc  hiV  and  the  raillery 
of  the  fair  Cecilia  prompted  him  to  hide  away 
from  his  mother  for  three  days,  in  a  bird-catcher's 
hut.  He  was  forgiven,  of  course ;  and  obtained 
some  sort  of  teachino-  at  the  hands  of  two  Abbes 
of  very  opposite  types,  the  gentle,  pious  Gregoire, 
and  the  bluff,  worldly  Fortier,  Three  masters 
struggled  hopelessly  to  instil  some  notion  of  mathe- 
matics into  the  boy's  head.  He  did  not  possess 
that  kind  of  brain  at  all. 

These  peaceful  lessons  were  interrupted  by 
"alarums  and  excursions"  such  as  Dumas's  idol 
Shakespeare  has  described.  It  was  now  1814, 
and  the  Allies  were  approaching  Paris.  Madame 
Dumas  fled  thither  out  of  hearino-  of  that  terrible 
bogey-cry,  "  The  Cossacks  !  "  and  as  a  consequence 
her  son  got  a  sight  of  the  young  king  of  Rome, 
who,  on  the  abdication  of  the  Emperor,  was  ac- 
claimed as  his  father's  successor  by  fickle  and 
enthusiastic  Paris.  The  skirmishes  in  the  streets 
of  \Mllers-Cotterets  are  vividly  described  by  Dumas. 
It  was  at  this  period,  according  to  our  author  him- 
self, that  his  mother  laid  before  him  the  choice  of 
being  a  Davy  de  la  Pailleterie,  a  "  Marquis,"  and  an 
aristocrat,  like  his  grandfather,  or  a  Republican,  a 
simple  "  Dumas,"  as  his  father  had  been.  The  lad 
did   not   hesitate,   althouHi    the  advantac^es  of  the 


14  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

former  career,  under  the  new  monarchy  of  Louis 
XVIII.,  were  frankly  pointed  out  to  him.  " 

Other  indications  of  the  nature  of  "the  child," 
who  was  to  be  "  father  of  the  man,"  were  not  want- 
ing. A  certain  M.  Oblet,  one  of  those  who  strove 
vainly  to  teach  the  volatile  Alexandre  mathematics, 
gave  his  pupil  an  accomplishment  invaluable  to  him 
throughout  his  life — a  beautiful  writing-hand. 

The  first  indication  of  the  boy's  future  career,  the 
first  promptings  towards  it,  were  afforded  by  the 
visit  to  Villers-Cotterets  of  the  son  of  a  neighbour, 
a  youth  named  Auguste  Lafarge,  who  was  a  clerk 
in  Paris.  This  city -mouse  stirred  the  deep  but 
slumbering  ambitions  of  his  poor  "country  cousin," 
and  when,  on  his  departure,  the  young  visitor  left 
behind  him  an  epigram,  levelled  against  a  cruel 
inamorata  of  the  neighbourhood,  Dumas  was  fired 
with  a  desire  to  write  French  verse  also.  However, 
his  tutor  gave  him  some  "  bout-rimes  "  to  complete, 
which,  for  the  moment,  effectually  quenched  the 
student's  ardour. 

Then  came  the  thrilling  drama  of  the  "  Hundred 
Days,"  Dumas  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  the 
Emperor  pass  through  the  little  town  of  Villers- 
Cotterets  on  his  way  to  Waterloo,  and  on  his 
return  from  that  fatal  field,  and  his  description  of  the 
two  episodes  is  most  vivid.  His  passionate  admira- 
tion for  will-power  and  genius  made  liim  then,  as  he 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  15 

always  remained,  a  Bonapartist  —  that  is  an  indi- 
vidualist— in  sentiment  and  fiction,  though  a  staunch 
Republican  in  practice  and  politics. 

He  has  given  us  a  pen-picture  of  himself  at  this 
period.  "  I  was  rather  a  good-looking  young 
monkey,"  he  says.  "  I  had  long,  curling  hair, 
which  fell  over  my  shoulders,  and  which  did  not 
crispen  until  I  was  fifteen.  I  had  big  blue  eyes, 
which  are  still  the  best  feature  of  my  face,  a  straight 
nose,  small  and  rather  well-shaped,  big  and  mobile 
lips,  and  white  and  rather  regular  teeth.  Lastly, 
add  a  startlingly  pale  complexion,  which  turned 
darker  at  the  time  that  my  hair  became  crisp." 

He  was  a  lad  of  spirit,  "  without  knowledge  and 
without  fear,"  and  his  roving,  out -door  life  was 
building  up  his  frame  with  the  strength  to  face  the 
enormous  life-work  before  him. 

At  sixteen  a  "calf"  love-affair  gave  a  necessary 
"  finishinof  touch"  to  Dumas's  education.  He  was 
stricken  with  admiration  for  one  of  two  somewhat 
disdainful  damsels  who  came  on  a  visit  from  Paris. 
At  that  time  our  shabby-genteel  hero  dressed  in 
rather  an  antiquated  fashion,  and  the  girls  and  his 
rivals  made  sly  fun  of  the  boy.  On  one  occasion, 
anxious  to  "show  off"  before  the  "fair"  in  his  gala 
attire,  the  impetuous  Alexandre  sprang  across  a 
wide  ditch.  The  feat  was  skilful,  but  not  particu- 
larly impressive — for  the  jumper  split  his  tight  knee- 


16  LIFE  AND  WHITINGS  OF 

breeches  in  the  effort.  In  the  end  the  girls  bade 
the  love-sick  but  gauche  young  gentleman  return  to 
his  marbles!  But  he  had  learnt  somethinsf,  for  he 
had  loved,  and  suffered  in  pride  and  heart. 

And  now  there  entered  upon  the  scene  an  im- 
portant actor  in  the  drama  of  Dumas's  life.  Our 
hero  was  at  this  time  only  the  junior  clerk  of  M. 
Mennesson,  the  notary,  with  little  more  than  clerkly 
prospects  and  ambitions,  when  there  came  to  Villers- 
Cotterets  an  elegant  young  aristocrat,  the  Vicomte 
Adolphe  Ribbing  de  Leuven  by  name.  De  Leuven 
dazzled  his  young  friend  completely.  He  could 
make  amorous  verse ;  he  had  written  plays,  he  had 
even  read  one  of  them,  at  the  Gymnase  Theatre,  at 
Paris ;  and  being  admitted  behind  the  scenes  of 
the  theatres,  could  talk  airily  and  familiarly  to  his 
envious  friend  of  Mars  and  of  Talma. 

The  call  to  Paris  —  the  call  to  London  —  what 
young  and  .aspiring  heart  does  not  know  it.'*  The 
summons  that  was  at  first  a  whisper  became  to  the 
soul  of  the  ardent  young  Alexandre  a  call,  ever 
louder  and  more  imperative ;  and  now,  a  day's  holi- 
day at  Soissons  brought  Dumas  into  contact  with 
Shakespeare.  It  was  Shakespeare  diluted  by  Ducis, 
it  is  true,  but  even  Ducis  could  not  entirely  spoil 
"  Hamlet ;  "  and  the  young  provincial,  who  entered 
the  theatre  ignorant  of  all  three  names,  came  out  en- 
raptured — dazzled- — transformed.    Whilst  de  Leuven 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  17 

was  excitlnor  the  ambition  of  his  friend,  another 
comrade,  Amedee  de  la  Ponce,  assisted  to  equip 
Dumas  for  the  coming  fight,  by  teaching  him  ItaHan, 
so  that  he  might  read  Dante  and  Ariosto  in  the 
original,  and  German,  enough  to  read  Schiller. 
Better  still,  he  gave  him  this  priceless  advice, 
which  Dumas  gratefully  records : — "  Be  sure  that 
there  is  something  else  in  life  besides  pleasure,  love, 
sport,  dancing,  and  all  the  wild  dreams  of  youth. 
There  is  Work  :  learn  to  work — learn,  that  is,  to  be 
happy." 

Dumas's  blood  and  parentage  had  important 
influences  on  his  character ;  and  a  third  factor  to 
be  remembered  is  the  atmosphere  of  the  times  into 
which  he  was  born.  Even  in  his  village  seclusion, 
young  Dumas  could,  as  it  were,  feel  the  hot  breath 
of  Romanticism  on  his  brow.  The  literary-political 
revolution  was  then  commencing  :  a  moderate 
"  Romantic  "  like  Casimir  Delavigne  was  conquer- 
ing Paris  with  his  "  Vepres  Siciliennes" ;  Beranger 
was  thrilling  France  with  his  songs  ;  and  the  popular 
feeling  against  the  Bourbons — the  old  Republican 
spirit  modified — expressed  itself  now  in  songs,  plays, 
squibs  and  pamphlets.  These  Dumas  read  greedily, 
and  the  seed  fell  on  fertile  ground.  Furthermore, 
de  Leuven  condescended  to  collaborate  with  the 
young  clerk  in  some  vaudevilles  and  other  plays, 
and  when  the  aristocrat  returned  with  his  father  to 


18  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Paris,  he  carried  Dumas's  heart  and  hopes  with 
him. 

The  months  passed,  and  doleful  news  came  from 
headquarters  to  the  would  -  be  dramatist.  The 
Parisian  managers  seemed  strangely  blind  to  their 
own  best  interests.  At  this  juncture  Dumas  was 
promoted  to  a  clerkship  with  one  M.  Lefevre,  a 
Crepy  notary,  and  it  was  from  this  town  that  he 
entered,  with  his  accustomed  impetuosity,  into 
one  of  those  rash  enterprises  of  which  youth  is 
so  commonly  guilty,  and  which  so  often  appear 
afterwards  in  the  light  of  inspirations. 

A  comrade  named  Paillet  came  one  day  to  Dumas 
and  proposed  that  in  the  absence  of  M.  Lefevre, 
who  was  about  to  pay  a  three  days'  visit  to  Paris, 
they,  too,  should  take  a  holiday  in  that  city.  It  was 
one  of  those  mad,  impossible  schemes  which  always 
recommended  themselves  to  Dumas.  Two  clerks, 
with  thirty-five  francs  between  them,  were  to  set 
out  to  do  the  forty  or  fifty  miles  to  Paris,  enjoy 
themselves  in  the  city,  and  return — in  seventy-two 
hours  !  But  Dumas's  ingenuity  was  equal  to  the 
problem.  Paillet  had  a  horse,  and  the  two  youths 
used  it  alternately.  That  halved  the  walking 
distance.  The  one  on  foot  carried  the  gun,  and 
the  game  that  they  shot  on  the  way  was  to  pay 
for  their  food  in  Paris.  Whenever  they  sighted 
a  keeper,  one  rode  off  with  the  game  and  gun,  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  19 

other  stayed  behind  to  demonstrate  his  innocence, 
to  propitiate  and,  if  necessary,  "  tip "  the  keeper, 
Paillet  explained  to  the  landlord  of  the  little  hotel 
they  patronised  that  they  had  wagered  with  some 
Englishmen  to  visit  Paris  without  spending  a  sou  ; 
and  so  persuaded  the  landlord  to  supply  them  with 
food,  lodging  and  beds,  in  exchange  for  the  game. 
Needless  to  say,  this  plan  was  young  Alexandre's. 

At  Paris  the  first  ambition  of  the  budding  author 
was  realised  ;  for,  thanks  to  his  friend  de  Leuven,  he 
saw  Talma,  the  tragedian,  in  "  Sylla,"  and  had  the 
overwhelming  joy  of  being  admitted  into  the  great 
man's  dressing-room.  Dumas  was  duly  questioned 
as  to  his  profession,  and  had  to  confess,  with  deep 
humiliation,  that  he  was  "  only  a  notary's  clerk." 

"  You  need  not  despair  on  that  account,"  said  the 
kindly  actor.  "  Corneille  was  an  attorney's  clerk. 
Gentlemen,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  the  brilliant 
company,  "let  me  present  to  you  a  future  Corneille  !" 
Then,  at  the  young  man's  earnest  request.  Talma, 
laid  his  hand  on  Dumas's  crisp  locks,  saying — 

"  Alexandre  Dumas,  I  baptise  thee  Poet,  in  the 
name  of  Shakespeare,  of  Corneille,  and  of  Schiller ! 
Return  to  the  country — go  back  to  your  office,  and 
if  you  have  a  true  call,  the  Angel  of  Poetry  will  be 
sure  to  find  you,  wherever  you  are ! " 

After  such  a  benediction,  the  moment  when 
Dumas  should  come  to  close  quarters  with  his  fate 


20  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

in  Paris  was  but  a  matter  of  time,  and,  to  the  ardent 
young  man's  mind,  the  sooner  the  better  ! 

The  opportunity  came  sooner.  M.  Lefevre  had 
returned  to  Crepy  before  his  truant  clerk,  and 
Dumas  answered  the  inevitable  reproof  with  a  rash 
resignation.  This  fertile  brain  had  already  begun 
to  grow  its  first  crop  of  ideas.  The  notary's  clerk 
resolved  to  attack  Paris  at  once. 

He  could  scarcely  have  chosen  a  more  Inoppor- 
tune moment,  for  his  mother's  resources  had 
dwindled  to  a  capital  of  253  francs.  Nevertheless, 
Dumas  contrived  to  sell  some  old  engravings  ;  won 
his  coach-fare  to  Paris  from  the  proprietor  of  the 
posting-house,  by  means  of  his  skill  at  billiards ; 
and  then,  armed  with  letters  written  to  General 
Dumas  by  his  father's  old  friends.  Marshals  Jourdan, 
Victor,  Sebastiani,  and  the  rest — tokens  which  he 
believed  to  be  better  than  any  letters  of  introduc- 
tion— he  set  out  for  Paris.  He  had  first  knelt  and 
prayed  with  his  mother,  who,  with  many  fears  and 
sighs,  let  him  go  on  his  audacious  quest. 

At  this  point  in  the  life  of  Alexandre  Dumas 
there  is  a  sharp  dividing-line.  Until  now  he  had 
been  a  boy,  living  an  aimless  life,  without  ambition 
and  without  prospects.  He  himself  has  confessed 
to  the  imperfect  nature  of  his  education,  adding, 
"  I  possessed,  however,  all  the  physical  advantages 
which  a  rustic  life  gives  :  I  could  ride  any  horse ; 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  21 

I  walked  a  dozen  leagues  to  dance  at  a  ball,  and 
was  pretty  smart  with  the  foil  and  pistol ;  I  could 
play  tennis  like  a  St  Georges,  and  rarely  missed  a 
hare  or  a  partridge  at  thirty  paces."  His  kindly 
patrons  had  tried  to  make  a  musician,  a  priest,  a 
notary,  or  a  scholar  of  him  ;  now  he  freed  himself 
from  all  restraining  influences,  and  began  to  live, 
think,  plan,  and  work  for  himself  The  change,  as 
we  shall  see,  worked  wonders.  Perhaps  the  phrase 
"for  himself"  is  misleading;  for  his  worst  friends 
(and  he  made  many)  never  doubted  Dumas's 
passionate  love  for  his  mother.  "  I  was  a  man, 
now,"  he  writes,  "  for  a  woman  depended  on  me. 
I  was  going  to  repay  my  mother  in  some  degree 
for  all  the  care  she  had  lavished  on  me."  Truly,  he 
was  a  man,  in  two  senses :  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  a  man,  and  he  acted  with  all  a  man's  courage 
and  sense  of  responsibility. 

Of  all  his  long  and  adventurous  career,  the  story 
of  Dumas's  early  struggles  is  the  most  familiar 
to  the  general  reader ;  every  sketch  of  his  life, 
however  short,  deals  with  it,  so  that  we,  in  turn, 
can  be  as  brief  as  this  interesting  period  will  allow. . 

On  his  arrival  in  Paris  Dumas  went  to  each 
of  his  father's  old  comrades,  and  experienced  the 
sad  but  inevitable  disillusionment.  Jourdan,  Victor, 
Sebastiani,  turned  their  backs  on  their  old  colleague's 
son ;  Verdier  had  himself  been  superannuated,  and 


22  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

was  poor  in  money  and  influence.  General  Foy, 
however,  received  Dumas  kindly,  but  found  the 
young  provincial  woefully  ignorant.  Nevertheless, 
he  bade  the  youth  write  down  his  address.  When 
he  saw  the  clerk's  exquisite  penmanship  the  General 
cried  out — 

*'  We  are  saved  I  " 

"Why?" 

"  You  write  such  a  good  hand  !  " 

Dumas  felt  profoundly  humiliated.  He  resolved 
then  and  there  to  earn  his  living  one  day,  not  by  his 
penmanship,  but  by  his  pen. 

This  skill  in  caligraphy  obtained  for  the  despair- 
ing young  man  a  clerkship  in  the  Secretary's  depart- 
ment of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  with  a  salary  of  about 
fifty  pounds  a  year.  Fifty  pounds  a  year  !  It  was 
the  riches  of  Monte  Cristo !  Dumas  hurried  home 
full  of  joy,  reached  Villers-Cotterets  at  midnight, 
and  rushed  into  his  mother's  bedroom,  shouting 
"  Victory  !  Victory  !  "  He  had  indeed  drawn  first 
blood  ! 

Once  installed  in  his  modest  lodgings.  No.  i  Pate 
des  Italiens,  Dumas  set  himself  to  study.  The 
days  were  his  noble  master's,  and  from  seven 
till  ten  every  evening  he  returned  to  the  bureau 
to  work ;  but  half  the  night  he  spent  reading 
Juvenal,  Tacitus,  Suetonius;  or  in  studying  geo- 
graphy and  physioloG^y.      He  also   followed  with  a 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  23 

certain  curiosity  the  theatrical  productions  of  the 
period  ;  but  as  he  was  not  In  s)'mpathy  with  the 
si)le,  the  dialogue,  the  construction  of  those  plays, 
which  were  of  the  pre-Romantic  type,  he  felt  no 
desire  to  Imitate  them.  So  steadily  did  he  work, 
however,  that  when  two  months  later  his  mother 
joined  him,  she  scarcely  knew  her  son  again  :  he 
had  become  so  serious ! 

Meanwhile  the  Romantics,  like  a  crowd  without 
leaders,  growled  and  threatened  inarticulately. 
Their  growing  power  was  greatly  augmented  by 
the  stupidity  of  the  Government,  who  persecuted 
that  very  moderate  innovator  Casimir  Delavigne, 
and  ennobled  Ancelot,  his  Royalist  rival.  The 
year  1823  was  indeed  a  year  of  revolution,  literary 
and  political.  Hugo  and  Lamartlne  had  already 
begun  the  attack  In  poetry,  with  the  "  Odes  and 
Ballades "  and  the  "  Meditations "  ;  Nodier  had 
published  his  genre  romances.  Then  came  the 
turn  of  the  painters;  and  the  Salon  of  1824  was 
full  of  pictures  of  a  new  type— Scheffer's  "  Death 
of  Gaston  de  Foix,"  Delacroix's  "  Massacre  of 
Chios,"  and  Coigniet's  "  Massacre  of  the  Inno- 
cents." Gericault,  too,  was  at  work  on  his  famous 
'  Wreck  of  the  Medtisar 

From  abroad  came  winds  to  fan  the  flames. 
Byron,  who  died  in  this  year,  was  deeply  impressing 
the   future   author  of  "  Antony "  ;    Scott,    who   was 


24  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

eagerly  read  by  the  men  of  the  rising  generation, 
had  revolutionised  the  old  ideas  of  romance  in 
general,  and  Dumas's  notions  in  particular ;  and 
Cooper,  the  now-forgotten,  found  in  the  country  of 
Chateaubriand  and  Rousseau  a  congenial  home  for 
his  poetic  romances  of  the  prairies. 

All  this  time  the  young  collaborators,  de  Leuven 
and  Dumas,  had  not  been  idle.  In  spite  of  his 
content  with  his  modest  salary,  young  Alexandre 
had  spent  more  than  double  that  income,  during  the 
first  year,  and  his  mother's  little  store  was  almost 
gone.  At  this  crisis  a  third  person  was  taken 
into  the  flourishing  dramatic  partnership — a  clever 
drunkard  named  Rousseau ;  and  the  little  play 
which  resulted — "  La  Chasse  et  lAmour  " — though 
rejected  at  the  Theatre  Gymnase,  was  accepted  at 
the  Ambigu,  and  played  with  success  in  1S25.  This 
lightened  the  poverty  which  was  weighing  upon  the 
author's  household,  and  thus  emboldened,  Dumas 
put  together  three  little  stories  which  he  had  written, 
and  persuaded  a  foolish  publisher  to  go  halves  with 
him  in  the  risk  of  producing  them.  This  little 
volume,  "  Nouvelles  Contemporaines,"  of  which  we 
shall  treat  at  greater  length  later  on,  was  published 
in  1826,  but  was  not  a  success.  Dumas  tells  us 
variously  that  four  and  again  that  six  copies  only 
were  sold.  It  was  favourably  reviewed,  however, 
by  Etienne  Arago,  and  proved  a  species  of  letter-of- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  25 

introduction  to  Buloz,  when  the  Revue  des  Deux 
Mondes  came  into  existence. 

In  the  midst  of  these  ever-growing  interests  and 
possibilities — for  Alexandre  had  now  the  privilege 
of  contributing  (without  pay)  to  a  monthly  magazine 
called  Le  Psyche,  and  was  interested,  along  with  a 
colleague  named  Lassagne,  in  the  fortunes  of  a 
second  play  called  "  La  Noce  et  I'Enterrement  " — 
a  blow  fell  upon  him.  News  of  this  employee's 
frivolous  dallying  with  the  Muses  had  reached  the 
ears  of  the  authorities,  and  Lassagne  was  forbidden 
to  encourage  such  evil  practices  for  the  future. 
Dumas  was  so  alarmed  at  this  threatened  stoppage 
of  his  life-work,  that  he  found  courage  to  beard  his 
superior,  M.  Oudard,  in  his  den.  That  official,  it 
appeared,  would  be  pleased  to  permit  the  young 
clerk  his  literary  pranks,  if  he  strove  to  emulate 
Delavigne ;  but  Dumas  replied,  with  more  honesty 
than  prudence,  that  if  he  did  not  hope  to  do  some- 
thing in  the  future  very  different  from  what  M. 
Delavigne  had  done,  he  would  then  and  there 
renounce  all  his  ambitions.  This  answer  was 
treated  as  an  impertinence  by  the  chiefs  of  the 
bureau,  and  laughed  at  as  the  drollest  of  jokes  by 
the  rest  of  the  staff  From  this  time  dated  the 
series  of  petty  persecutions  which  in  the  end  cost 
the  youth  his  salary,  and  nearly  lost  him  his  place. 

Whilst  Dumas  was  struggling  on,  more  or  less  in 


26  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  dark  as  to  the  nature  and  direction  of  his  own 
abilities,  two  events  of  great  importance  happened. 
Louis  XVIII.  had  died,  and  had  been  succeeded  by 
Charles  X.,  whose  career  in  some  respects  resembled 
that  of  our  James  II.  Charles  had  pledged  himself 
on  his  accession  to  abolish  the  censorship  ;  but  he 
soon  attempted  to  re-impose  it.  A  political-literary 
agitation  followed,  and  after  a  struggle  the  obnoxious 
threat  was  withdrawn.  The  other  event  was  the 
arrival  in  Paris  of  Kean  and  an  English  company  of 
Shakespearean  actors.  Not  so  long  before,  English 
players  had  been  pelted  from  the  pit  of  the  Porte  St 
Martin,  but  at  this  moment  (1827)  the  French  had 
been  seized  with  Anglo-mania.  Scott  was  being 
read  and  dramatised  on  all  hands  ;  Guizot  was 
studying  the  British  constitution,  for  future  appli- 
cation to  French  politics,  and  Byron  was  a  literary 
fashion.  Dumas  was  even  more  prepared  to  wel- 
come Shakespeare  than  were  the  majority  of  his 
fellow-Romantics.  He  saw  "  Hamlet,"  and  it 
electrified  him.  He  knew  every  word  of  the  play 
beforehand,  and  strange  as  he  found  the  English 
style  of  acting,  he  "  saw  light"  for  the  first  tim.e  on 
the  path  of  his  future.  But  let  him  speak  for  him- 
self: 

''Ah,  this  was  what  my  soul  had  been  seeking  after  : 
this  was  what  I  had  lacked,  and  which  had  come  at 
last!     Here  were  actors  forgetting  that  they  were 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  27 

acting" — here  was  mock  life  become  real  life,  by 
the  power  of  art;  here  was  truth  of  speech  and 
action,  which  transformed  the  players  into  human 
beings,  with  their  virtues,  passions,  and  weaknesses, 
instead  of  into  cold-blooded  posers,  unnatural,  de- 
clamatory, sententious.  ...  I  read — nay,  devoured — 
not  only  the  repertory  of  Shakespeare  but  that  of 
every  other  foreign  dramatic  poet,  and  I  came  to 
recognise  that  in  the  world  of  the  theatre  everything 
emanates  from  Shakespeare,  as  in  the  real  world  all 
emanates  from  the  sun.  ...  I  recognised,  in  short, 
that  he  was  the  one  who  had  created  most,  after 
God." 

"  From  that  moment  my  career  was  decided : 
I  felt  that  the  special  call  which  is  sent  to  every 
man  had  come  to  me,  then  ;  I  felt  a  confidence 
which  has  never  since  failed  me.  Nevertheless  I 
did  not  disguise  from  myself  the  difficulties  which 
such  a  life-work  would  involve.  I  knew  that  above 
all  other  professions  this  one  demanded  deep  and 
special  study,  and  that,  to  operate  with  success  upon 
living  life,  I  should  first  need  to  study  'dead  nature' 
long  and  earnestly.  Shakespeare,  Corneille,  Moliere, 
Calderon,  Goethe,  and  Schiller — I  laid  their  works 
before  me,  like  bodies  on  the  surgeon's  table,  and 
with  scalpel  in  hand,  long  nights  through,  I  probed 
them  to  the  heart  to  discover  the  secret  of  their 
life.      I   saw  by  what  admirable   mechanism   these 


28  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

authors  set  the  nerves  and  muscles  of  their  crea- 
tures moving  and  working,  and  noted  with  what 
skill  they  clothed  and  re-clothed  with  different  flesh 
that  framework  which  was  always  the  same." 

Dumas  had  translated  the  "  Fiesco  "  of  Schiller, 
and  vainly  attempted  to  dramatise  Scott  with  Soulie, 
but  Shakespeare  filled  his  heart  and  brain  with  new 
thoughts,  greater  ambitions.  No  sooner  had  the 
English  actors  gone  than  the  Salon  opened,  and 
the  young  author,  paying  an  early  visit,  was  im- 
mediately impressed  by  a  picture  representing  the 
murder  of  Monaldeschi  by  order  of  Queen  Chris- 
tine of  Sweden.  Dumas  seized  upon  the  incident 
then  and  there  as  a  subject ,  for  a  poetic  drama ; 
he  found  the  details  of  the  tragedy  in  an  article 
in  the  "  Biographie  Michaud,"  and  set  to  work. 

"Christine"  was  soon  written.  It  was  only  half- 
classical  in  style,  for  although  it  observed  some  of 
the  "  unities,"  it  was  thoroughly  romantic  in  form. 
"What,  then,  was  to  be  done  with  the  bastard 
infant,  born  outside  the  pale  of  the  Institute  and 
the  Academy  ?  "  Dumas  asked  himself.  The 
Comedie  Fran^aise,  a  State-endowed  theatre,  ruled 
by  the  Government  and  a  committee  of  its  actors, 
and  bound  by  tradition  to  the  classic  school  of 
Corneille  and  Racine,  would  not  be  likely  to  tolerate 
any  suspicion  of  vulgarity,  in  the  shape  of  plays 
cast  in  the  mould  of  Shakespeare.      But  this  very 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  29 

system  of  national  control  enables  young  writers 
to  obtain,  by  right,  at  least  a  hearing.  There  was, 
Dumas  learnt,  an  official  examiner  of  plays,  who 
would  probably  be  a  year  before  he  got  down  to 
"  Christine,"  so  great  were  his  arrears  of  work  ; 
but  there  was  the  commissary,  Baron  Taylor,  open 
to  give  attention  to  more  favoured  candidates. 
Dumas  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  appointment 
with  the  Baron,  though  it  was  for  seven  in  the 
morning — the  only  time  the  overworked  official 
could  spare.  Very  droll  is  the  young  dramatist's 
account  of  Baron  Taylor  in  his  bath,  groaning 
whilst  a  merciless  poet  read  every  line  of  a  five- 
act  tragedy  to  him.  At  the  end  of  the  reading 
the  commissary  was  frozen  and  cross,  and  poor 
Dumas  offered  to  come  again  ;  but  the  kindly 
Baron  encouraged  him  to  begin  his  own  play,  and 
became  quite  enthusiastic  at  the  end.  Thanks  to 
Taylor's  exertions,  the  trembling  author  read  the 
play  before  the  brilliant  staff  of  the  Fran9aise  ;  he 
was  applauded  loudly,  and  the  play  was  accepted 
with  acclamation,  subject  to  revision.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  Dumas,  hurrying  home  to  delight 
his  sorrowing  mother  with  the  news,  lost  the  MS. 
on  the  way, — and  rewrote  it  that  night.  He  knew 
every  line  of  it  by  heart ! 

The    gentleman    appointed    on    behalf    of    the 
Comedie    Franqaise   to   consider   "Christine"   was 


30  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

of  the  classic  school,  and  he  smilingly  bade  the 
young  iconoclast  go  back  to  his  desk — and  stay 
there.  Yet  again  the  play  was  read,  and  once 
more  set  aside  for  revision  ;  and  this  time  Dumas 
took  the  opportunity  of  remodelling  and  entirely 
altering  the  motive  of  the  play. 

Poor  "  Christine  "  !  No  sooner  was  she  clad  in 
her  new  robe,  than  bureaucratic  and  social  intrigues 
forced  Dumas  to  consent  to  the  indefinite  postpone- 
ment of  its  production,  in  favour  of  another  version 
of  the  subject  by  a  more  influential  writer.  But  he 
was  far  from  being  daunted,  and  a  chance  occur- 
rence set  him  on  the  road  to  success  by  another 
path. 

One  day  the  office  cupboard  from  which  Dumas 
usually  got  his  writing-paper  was  locked,  and  he  was 
oblio^ed  to  o-o  into  another  ofiice  to  fetch  some.  As 
he  passed  through  the  room  his  eyes  fell  on  a  book 
which  was  lying  on  a  desk.  It  was  a  volume  of 
Anquetil,  open  at  the  passage  which  describes  the 
Duke  de  Guise's  jealousy  of  St  Megrin,  and  the 
trick  which  he  played  upon  the  Duchess  in  conse- 
quence. Guise  gave  her  a  dose  of  what  he  called 
"poison,"  but  which  turned  out  to  be  harmless  soup. 
The  incident  seemed  so  dramatic  that  it  excited 
Dumas's  interest,  and  he  sought  for  and  read  the 
story  of  the  murder  of  St  Megrin,  and  of  Bussy 
dAmboise    in    the    "  Memoires    d'Estoile."      From 


DIMAS    IN     1828.      I'KOM    A    UKAWIX(.t    BV    DKVKKIA. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  31 

these,  he  tells  us,  he  constructed  his  play  of  "  Henri 
Trois  et  sa  Cour." 

"  I  was  then  twenty-five  years  of  age,"  he  writes  ; 
"  *  Henri  Trois'  was  my  second  serious  work.  Let 
a  conscientious  critic  take  it  and  submit  it  to  the 
most  searching  examination — he  will  find  in  the 
matter  of  style  everything  to  censure ;  in  the  matter 
of  plot,  nothing.  I  have  written  fifty  dramas  since, 
and  none  of  them  is  more  skilfully  constructed." 
These  are  bold  words,  and  would  be  boastful  if 
ofood  critics  did  not  confirm  them. 

The  young  author's  superiors  were  equally  busy 
during  this  time.  They  piled  the  work  upon  him 
for  fear  that  he  should  use  a  minute  of  their 
time  in  writing  his  "trashy"  dramas;  they  took 
away  his  salary,  and  if  Dumas  had  not  been  able 
to  borrow  from  Lafitte,  the  famous  banker  and 
politician,  he  and  his  mother  would  have  starved. 
Finally,  the  Duke  of  Orleans  withheld  from  our 
author  the  customary  yearly  bonus  given  to  his 
staff.  But  for  all  that,  "  Henri  Trois"  was  written, 
was  read  privately,  and  greeted  with  enthusiasm — 
was  read  before  the  Comedie  Francaise,  and  ac- 
cepted by  acclamation. 

Soon  the  news  got  about  that  a  new  play — a  play 
which  would  revolutionise  the  French  staQfe — had 
been  written  by  an  obscure  young  man.  and  little 
by  little  the  public  excitement  grew.     The  produc- 


32  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

tion  was  fixed  for  February  loth,  1829,  and 
rehearsals  went  forward  more  or  less  smoothly. 
Firmin  (the  leading  actor  since  Talma's  death)  and 
Mdlle.  Mars  were  to  play  the  chief  parts,  and 
Dumas  was  full  of  joy  and  hope  and  pride,  when 
news  came  to  him  that  his  mother  was  dying. 

Madame  Dumas  had  never  possessed  the  buoyant 
spirits,  the  hopeful  temperament,  the  love  of  daring 
which  characterised  her  quadroon  son.  She  would 
probably  have  borne  the  anxieties  which  his  ambi- 
tions caused  her — for  she  loved  him  and  believed  in 
him — if  her  friends  and  neighbours  had  not  aggra- 
vated her  trouble  with  their  croaking,  spiteful 
tongues.  On  the  eve  of  the  production  of  her  son's 
play,  the  poor  widow,  coming  away  after  a  more  or 
less  trying  interview  of  this  nature,  fell  down  in 
an  apoplectic  fit  Alexandre,  struck  with  despair, 
rendered  his  mother  all  the  help  which  devotion 
and  intelligence  could  give,  but  the  fateful  night 
came,  and  found  her  still  unconscious  and  in  danger. 

Of  all  "  first  nights  "  on  record,  probably  that  of 
"Henri  III."  was  the  most  eventful  and  strange. 
As  an  epoch-making  event,  as  a  triumph,  it  was 
greater  even  than  "Hernani"  a  year  later,  and 
"Antony,"  which  afterwards  made  such  a  sensa- 
tional dSbut.  The  accounts  of  those  who  witnessed 
this  premiere  have  assured  us  that  the  author's 
description  does  the  scene  no  more  than  justice. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  33 

•*  I  passed  the  whole  day  by  my  mother's  bed- 
side," he  says.  "  She  was  still  unconscious.  At 
a  quarter  to  eight  I  left  her,  and  entered  my  box 
as  the  curtain  rose." 

"The  first  act  was  received  complacently,  although 
the  exposition  of  the  plot  was  long,  stiff  and  tedious. 
As  the  curtain  fell  I  ran  out  to  revisit  my  mother." 

"  On  my  return  I  had  just  time  to  cast  a  glance 
round  the  auditorium.  Those  who  were  present 
will  recollect  what  a  magnificent  coup  dceil  it  pre- 
sented. The  first  tier  was  crowded  with  men 
resplendent  with  the  Orders  of  five  or  six  countries 
on  their  breasts ;  the  whole  aristocracy  was  massed 
together  in  the  boxes,  and  the  ladies  glistened  with 
diamonds." 

"The  second  act,  containing  the  sarbacane  episode, 
about  which  I  had  been  so  nervous,  passed  with- 
out opposition,  and  the  curtain  fell  in  the  midst 
of  applause." 

"  From  the  third  act,  to  the  close  the  play  was 
no  longer  a  success  :  it  was  a  growing  delirium. 
Everyone  applauded,  even  the  women  ;  and  amongst 
them  Madame  Malibran,  leaning  far  out  of  a  box 
and  clinging  with  both  hands  to  a  column  to  keep 
herself  from  falling."  .  .  . 

Then,  w^hen  Firmin  came  forward  to  name  the 
author,  the  enthusiasm  was  so  unanimous  that  the 
Duke  of  Orleans  himself  rose  and  listened,  stand- 

c 


34  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

ing,  to  the  announcement  of  his  talented  employee's 
name.  That  night  Dumas  received  an  effusive 
letter  of  congratulation,  from  the  very  official  who 
had  deprived  him  of  his  salary ! 

Next  morning  the  successful  young  playwright's 
room  was  crowded  with  bouquets,  which  he  proudly 
placed  on  his  mother's  bed.  Dumas  had  sold  the 
manuscript  of  his  play  for  6,000  francs,  and  repaid 
Lafitte,  when  news  came  that  "Henri  Trois "  was 
suspended  by  the  Minister  of  the  Interior.  Happily, 
Dumas  straightway  obtained  a  revocation  of  the 
order,  but  during  the  interim  the  young  author 
could  scarcely  be  said  to  breathe ! 

He  began  immediately  to  pay  for  his  success. 
An  anonymous  attack  in  one  of  the  papers  brought 
a  challenge  from  the  fiery  young  author,  and — 
greater  honour  still ! — seven  "  classical  "  playwrights 
drew  up  a  pompous  address  to  the  King,  imploring 
him  to  save  the  national  theatre  from  "  despicable 
mountebanks,"  and  to  keep  to  the  orthodox  writers 
— that  is,  themselves.  Happily  Charles  X.  replied 
simply,  that  he  had  only  his  place  in  the  pit,  as 
other  Frenchmen  had,  and  could  not  interfere. 

About  this  time  Nodier,  of  whom  we  have  spoken, 
was  holding  his  salon  at  the  Arsenal,  and  Dumas 
had  the  eood  fortune  to  be  admitted  to  that  brilliant 
literary  circle.  Nodier's  daughter,  Marie  Mennessier- 
Nodier,  tells  in  her  recollections  of  her  father  an 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  35 

amusing  story  of  Dumas's  first  introduction  to  the 
Arsenal.  The  librarian  was  constantly  pestered 
by  poorer  literary  brethren,  who  called  to  sponge 
on  him.  Therefore,  when  one  day  Marie  begged 
her  father  to  receive  a  handsome  young  "  man  of 
letters "  who  had  called,  the  wary  bibliophile  flatly 
refused.  Dumas  laughed,  went  away,  and — called 
again.  Marie  was  much  taken  with  the  gay,  good- 
looking  young  fellow,  and  Nodier  at  last  grumblingly 
consented  to  see  him,  preparing  as  he  spoke  to 
part  with  a  score  or  two  of  francs.  He  received 
Dumas,  first  with  distrust,  then  with  surprise,  chatted 
with  him  animatedly,  and  parted  with  him  as  unwill- 
ingly as  he  had  greeted  him.  Needless  to  say, 
money  was  not  mentioned ! 

Nodier  gave  the  young  writer  more  than  money : 
he  gave  him  a  social  life,  and  a  literary  encourage- 
ment and  education  which  was  invaluable.  Here 
the  young  author  met  Hugo,  De  Vigny,  Sainte 
Beuve,  De  Musset,  and  others  almost  as  brilliant 
but  less  known.  Thenceforth  a  place  was  kept 
for  the  witty  young  writer  at  the  famous  Sunday 
dinners  of  the  Arsenal,  and  here  in  due  course, 
"  little  Alexandre  "  was  brought.  The  friendship 
between  the  two  men  remained  close,  affectionate 
and  unalterable,  until  the   elder  man's  death. 

Fame  now  came  swiftly  to  the  author  of  the 
first  great   romantic   play.       Dumas  was   appointed 


36  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

assistant-librarian  to  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  under 
Delavigne,  at  the  princely  salary  of  ^loo  a  year! 
The  author  of  "Henri  Trois"  was  the  lion  of 
Paris  for  the  winter  of  1829;  Deveria  made  an 
engraving-  of  him  ;  David  of  Angers  a  medallion. 
"  Nothing  was  wanting  to  my  glory,"  says  Dumas 
frankly, — "  not  even  that  little  shade  of  the  ridiculous 
which  always  accompanies  literary  reputations." 
Wild  stories  were  repeated  in  "classic"  circles,  of 
the  triumphant  orgies  of  the  Romantics, — how  they 
had  danced  about  a  bust  of  Racine,  crying  exultantly 
that  they  had  "  done  for  him  "  ;  how  they  were  call- 
ing for  the  heads  of  the  Academicians  on  chargers, 
and  so  forth.  No  wonder  the  Seven  appealed  to 
the  King ! 

*'  Henri  Trois,"  indeed,  was  a  revelation  and  a 
revolution.  It  was  a  romance  drawn  from  French 
history ;  its  characters  were  real  in  origin,  and  true 
to  life  in  their  words  and  deeds  ;  instead  of  dull 
declamatory  couplets,  and  a  tawdry,  meaningless 
plot,  the  audience  was  enthralled  by  the  rapid, 
merciless  development  of  a  story  of  human  passion. 
The  love  of  St  Megrin  for  the  Duchess  of  Guise, 
the  Duke's  jealousy  of  St  Megrin,  both  private 
and  political,  the  vivid  picture  of  Henri  HI.  and 
his  mignons  and  the  everyday  life  of  the  French 
court — the  series  of  dramatic  scenes  which  develop 
the  intrigue,  until  St  Megrin  goes  to  the  assigna- 


AL,EXANDRE    DUMAS.     FROM    A    LITHOGRAPH    BY    DELPAC'H    OF 
A    DRAWING    BY    MAURIR. 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  37 

tion  which  Guise  forces  his  wife  to  make — all  this 
was  so  novel,  so  congenial,  so  startling,  that  for 
the  moment  Paris  talked  of  nothinof  else. 

Our  author,  with  characteristic  tact,  determined  to 
follow  up  this  success  with  another  as  soon  as  he 
possibly  could.  He  withdrew  "Christine"  from  the 
Comedie  Francaise,  where  it  was  receiving  luke- 
warm treatment,  and  took  it  to  the  Odeon.  He 
had  reconstructed  the  play,  "to  make  it  more 
modern  and  more  dramatic  "  ;  and  for  this  purpose 
had  taken  coach  to  Havre  and  back,  working  out 
the  remodelled  play  in  his  brain,  to  the  jolting  of 
coach ! 

But  this  time  the  "classicists"  were  not  to  be 
taken  by  surprise.  The  play  was  forbidden  :  then, 
when  the  mandate  was  withdrawn  and  the  rehearsals 
went  forward,  an  opposition  was  organised.  Fortun- 
ately the  young  "romantics"  rallied  round  Dumas; 
his  friendly  rival  Soulie  brought  in  a  number  of  his 
workmen  to  form  a  claque,  and  the  forces  were  aljout 
equal.  On  March  30th,  1830,  the  battle  of  the 
Odeon  was  fought  The  theatre  resounded  alter- 
nately with  applause  and  "hissing";  roars  of  delight 
and  of  disgust  succeeded  each  other.  This  terrible 
battle  lasted  seven  hours.  "  Ten  times  overthrown, 
the  play  sprang  to  its  feet  after  each  reverse,  and  at 
two  in  the  morning  it  finished,  having  thrown  the 
public,  panting,  thrilled  and  terrified,  on  its  knees!" 


38  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Yet  the  success  of"  Christine  "  was  still  undecided 
when  the  curtain  fell,  and  Dumas  and  his  backers 
retired  to  supper,  jubilant  but  exhausted.  The 
author  had  seen  that  many  parts  of  the  dialogue 
urgently  required  to  be  altered  or  omitted,  and  had 
arranged  that  the  revisions  should  be  sent  to  the 
actors  next  morning ;  but  how  was  it  possible  for 
the  host  of  that  joyous  company  to  find  the  time  to 
do  the  work?  Hugo  and  Alfred  de  Vigny  grasped 
the  situation,  and  came  to  the  rescue.  Bidding 
Dumas  entertain  his  guests,  they  retired  to  another 
room  and  wrought  at  the  play  for  the  rest  of  the 
night,  and  at  dawn  walked  away,  arm-in-arm,  leaving 
the  revised  MS.  on  the  mantelpiece  in  the  room 
where  the  revellers  were  snoring. 

With  the  change  consequent  on  his  achievement 
of  fame  and  (in  a  less  degree)  of  fortune,  Dumas 
closed  a  chapter  in  his  life  which  had  an  im- 
portant influence  on  his  future.  When  he  first  took 
lodgings  in  Paris,  he  was  not  quite  twenty-one.  He 
lived  in  a  garret,  dreamed  of  fame,  and  was  happy, 
like  Beranger's  hero — 

"  Dans  line  grenier,  qu'on  est  bien  h.  vingt  ans  ! " 

The  handsome  lad  had  for  neighbour  one  Madame 
INTarie-Catherine  Lebay,  a  young  and  pretty  seam- 
stress, amicably  separated  from  her  husband.  She 
brightened  the  life  of  the  young  playwright  with 


ALEXANDRE  DUJSIAS  39 

her  cheerful  society,  and  the  pair  fell  in  love.  When 
Madame  Dumas  followed  her  son  to  Paris,  he  found 
her  rooms  elsewhere,  and  Alexandre  Dumas yf A  was 
born  of  this  intimacy,  in  1824.  When  worldly 
temptations  came  upon  the  vain  young  genius  he 
separated  from  his  mistress,  and  little  by  little  lost 
sight  of  her.  Although  the  object  of  jealous  rivalry 
and  of  a  struggle  for  possession  between  father  and 
mother,  and  although  alternately  under  the  control 
of  each,  the  younger  Dumas  grew  up  to  love  his  two 
parents,  so  strangely  different  in  nature  and  position, 
with  almost  equal  affection.  As  long  as  the  father 
possessed  a  franc  the  son  was  welcome  to  it,  and 
this  affection  was  repaid  to  the  full  in  the  last  sad 
days  of  the  elder  man's  life. 

What  Dumas  might  have  been,  had  he  remained 
true  to  his  first  love,  we  can  only  conjecture.  That 
it  would  have  been  for  the  good  of  his  genius,  his 
happiness,  and  his  success,  those  who  have  read  the 
story  of  this  sweet  and  able  woman's  life  cannot 
doubt.  Although  at  first  there  was  a  bitterness 
between  them  after  the  separation,  she  remained 
through  life  proud  of  the  success  of  her  famous 
lover,  and  during  the  last  years  was  reconciled  to 
him.  Her  death  in  1S68  was  one  of  the  sorrows 
of  the  old  Dumas,  when  he  himself  was  nearinof 
his  end. 


40  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 


The  Reign  of  Dumas  I  (1830- 1848) 

The  successful  young  dramatist  was  preparing  to 
visit  Algiers,  which  had  just  been  captured  by  the 
French,  and  which,  (with  that  instinct  which  he 
developed  in  later  years,  Dumas  was  anxious  to 
explore  and  exploit),  when  the  Revolution  of  July 
1830  broke  out. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  describe  the  political 
crisis  which  led  to  the  downfall  of  Charles  X.,  and 
the  accession  of  the  younger  branch  of  the  Bourbons 
in  the  person  of  Louis  Philippe,  Duke  of  Orleans, 
but  sufficient  must  be  told  to  explain  the  part  which 
our  hero  played  in  the  strange  tragic-farce. 

Charles  X.  had  done  much,  during  his  brief  reign, 
to  rouse  the  old  revolutionary  spirit  by  his  auto- 
cratic measures.  On  the  25th  July  1830,  he  caused 
the  famous  "  Ordonnances "  to  be  issued,  "putting 
an  end  to  the  freedom  of  the  press,  already  largely 
curtailed,  appointing  a  new  mode  of  election,  and 
dissolving  the  recently-elected  chamber."  Once 
more  Paris  saw  the  old  familiar  barricades  rise  in 
a  single  night ;  faded  flags  were  brought  forth,  old 
watch-words  were  revived,  and  old  veterans  re- 
appeared ;  the  roll  of  the  drums,  and  the  thrilling 
notes  of  the  "Marseillaise"  resounded  once  more 
in  the  streets  of  the  city.     The  revolutionaries,  to 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  41 

which  party  the  son  of  the  General  Dumas  belonged, 
hoped  to  see  a  second  Republic  rise  .out  of  the 
ruins  of  the  discredited  monarchy,  and  the  story 
of  "the  days  of  July"  is  told  in  Dumas's 
"  Memoires,"  by  himself  as  an  eye-witness.  M. 
Parigot,  commenting  on  this  description,  in  his 
study  of  our  authior,  says : — 

**  If  you  have  any  desire  to  breathe  a  little  of  the 
atmosphere  which  heated  all  brains  at  that  moment 
you  need  only  read  'the  three  days  of  July'  in 
Volume  VI.  There  the  different  means  are 
described,  as  well  as  the  concentration  of  senti- 
ments, which  united  to  make  the  throne  of  Charles 
X.  totter.  Turn  over  the  leaves  of  Louis  Blanc 
and  compare.  Dumas  is  a  magician  for  demon- 
strating the  picturesque.  The  ever-growing 
enthusiasm  which  cut  the  streets  into  barricades, 
uprooted  the  trees  on  the  boulevards  and  burnt 
the  guard-house  of  the  Exchange,  to  the  cry  of 
'  Vive  la  Charte  ! ' ;  the  indecision  of  journalists  and 
politicians,  the  discontent  of  the  public,  who  wished 
to  '  avenge  Waterloo  in  the  streets  of  Paris ' ;  the 
excitement  of  the  young  collegians,  Lafayette 
domiciled  at  the  Town  Hall — and  alonor  with  all 
this  the  opposition  which  was  beginning  against 
the  Provisional  Government — all  is  painted  with 
the  exactitude  of  an  eye-witness  who  has  a  fine 
sense  of  spectacular  effect.     And,  moreover,  Dumas 


42  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

was  one  who  had  the  courage  to  lash  the  'com- 
fortable middle-classes'  for  their  politic  opportunism. 
They  kept  securely  indoors,  during  the  fray,  but 
were  quite  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  popular 
movement,  after  the  danger.  He  denounced  the 
timorous  and  underhand  conduct  of  these  people, 
and  the  work  of  reaction  which  they  insidiously 
accomplished,  even  at  the  moment  when  the  people 
were  triumphing." 

Alexandre's  share  in  the  Revolution  was  chiefly 
confined  to  two  exploits — the  saving  of  precious 
military  relics,  during  the  sacking  of  the  artillery- 
museum,  and  the  fetching  of  the  powder  from 
Soissons.  This  latter  episode,  though  it  had  no 
very  important  bearing  on  the  fate  of  the  revolu- 
tion, was  a  brilliant  coitp  in  its  way,  worthy  of  the 
son  of  Napoleon's  brave  general,  and  of  the  creator 
of  D'Artagnan. 

Charles  X.  had  fled  from  Paris  in  the  first  days 
of  the  tumult,  but  remained  outside  the  city  at 
Saint  Cloud,  with  an  imposing  army,  awaiting  the 
turn  of  events,  and  in  particular  the  action  of  his 
representatives  in  Paris.  Dumas  heard  Lafayette 
(who  was  informally  the  Minister  of  War  of  the 
insurgents)  remark  that  if  the  King  advanced  on 
Paris  the  revolutionaries  would  have  no  powder 
wherewith  to  defend  themselves  ;  and  he  at  once 
offered  to  go  to  Soissons,  a  town  some  sixty  miles 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  43 

away,  and  in  his  native  department,  where,  as 
he  knew,  a  powder-magazine  was  located,  and  to 
bring  the  ammunition  back.  His  wild  proposal 
was  laughed  at ;  but  by  his  persistence  Dumas 
obtained  an  order  for  the  powder,  and  a  recom- 
mendation to  the  people  of  Soissons ;  and  with 
these  credentials  (which  he  boldly  took  upon  him- 
self to  strengthen  by  interpolation)  he  prepared 
for  his  daring  expedition. 

The  bold  young  "red"  posted  for  Soissons  on 
the  afternoon  of  July  30th,  with  a  comrade  named 
Bard.  On  the  way,  as  one  of  the  postillions  re- 
fused to  keep  his  horses  up  to  the  pace  of  the 
young  adventurer's  impatience,  Dumas  fired  a 
blank  cartridge  at  the  man,  who  fell  from  the 
horse  in  affright.  Young  Alexandre  promptly 
donned  the  posting-boots  and  took  the  coach  for- 
ward himself.  At  his  own  beloved  Villers-Cot- 
terets  the  hero  halted  and  supped  hastily,  in  the 
midst  of  enthusiastic  fellow-townsmen  ;  and  having 
recruited  a  young  friend  named  Hutin,  whose 
mother  lived  in  Soissons  and  who  was  a  native  of 
the  place,  the  party  drove  forward  and  entered  the 
gates  of  that  town  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

All  the  rest  of  the  night  Madame  Hutin  and 
her  household  worked  to  make  a  tricolour,  which 
was  to  float  from  the  flagstaff  of  the  cathedral 
that  morning.      Bard  and  Hutin  set  out  to  smuggle 


44  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  flag  into  the  church,  to  overpower  the  sacristan 
and  exchange  the  Bourbon  white  for  repubhcan 
red-white-and-blue  ;  and  Dumas  himself  Hngered 
about  a  small  pavilion  at  the  Fort  St  Jean,  which 
was  used  as  a  magazine,  until  he  saw  the  tricolour 
floating  where  a  minute  before  the  Royalist  flag 
had  waved.  Then  he  climbed  the  wall  of  the 
pavilion,  and  dropping  into  the  garden,  confronted 
with  his  gun  two  soldiers  who  were  peacefully 
hoeinpf  the  beds,  and  announced  his  errand.  After 
a  parley  the  three  guardians  of  the  magazine  agreed 
to  remain  indoors,  and  behave  as  neutrals,  until 
some  decisive  order  came  from  headquarters,  and 
Dumas  went  off  to  accomplish  the  second  and 
more  difficult  part  of  his  enterprise. 

Commandant  Liniers,  in  charge  of  the  depot 
at  Soissons,  found  himself  that  morning  confronted 
by  a  swarthy  and  very  earnest  young  man  with  a 
gun,  who  demanded  the  ammunition  in  his  keeping. 
He  scoffed  at  the  youth  and  his  written  order, 
and  denied  that  there  was  any  quantity  of  powder 
in  the  magazine.  Dumas  retired  to  assure  himself 
of  the  truth  or  untruth  of  this  statement,  and  on 
his  return  found  that  Liniers  was  reinforced  by 
three  other  officers,  and  therefore  still  more  scornful 
and  incredulous. 

Dumas  did  not  hesitate,  for  he  saw  that  he 
must  act  prompdy,  or  he  was  lost.     "  I  had  gone 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  45 

too  far  to  withdraw,"  he  says  ;  "  I  was  almost 
alone,  in  the  midst  of  officials  hostile  to  the  new 
government.  It  was  a  question  of  life  or  death 
for  me."  He  pulled  out  a  pair  of  double-barrelled 
pistols,  and  swore  that  unless  he  received  an  order 
for  the  powder  in  five  seconds,  he  would  blow 
out  the  brains  of  the  whole  party !  At  this  critical 
moment  the  commandant's  wife,  who  had  evidently 
got  wind  of  the  affair,  rushed  in,  and  flung  herself 
into  the  midst  of  the  company,  imploring  her  hus- 
band to  yield.  Liniers  was  now  willing  to  give 
way,  if  his  "face"  could  be  "saved."  Dumas  took 
the  hint,  sent  for  two  or  three  of  his  comrades  to 
assemble  in  the  court  outside,  threw  open  the 
window,  and  bade  them  fire  when  he  gave  the 
signal.  Liniers  sat  down  and  wrote  the  order. 
Then  followed  denials  and  delays  on  the  part 
f  the  mayor  and  other  authorities.  At  last  Dumas 
in  anger  broke  open  the  magazine  himself,  pro- 
cured carts  and  loaded  them  with  the  powder,  and 
at  fi[ve  o'clock  the  adventurous  little  band  were 
on  their  way  back  to  Paris.  At  nine  next  morning 
Dumas  delivered  his  precious  convoy,  so  daringly 
procured,  at  the  "  rebel "  headquarters,  the  Hotel 
de  Ville. 

Birt  even  while  the  young  Dumas  was  "bluffing" 
the  Soissons  garrison  so  gloriously,  the  cause 
of  Republicanism    was  being   betrayed.       Between 


46  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  alternatives  of  Charles  X.  and  an  elected 
President  a  compromise  was  made ;  and  the  Duke 
of  Orleans,  having  abandoned  his  King  and  pro- 
mised all  things  democratic,  entered  Paris,  and 
was  presently  chosen  lieutenant  -  general  of  the 
kingdom,  and  then  "  monarch  by  the  will  of  the 
people."  A  "  moderate "  party,  who  believed  in 
constitutional  government,  acting  with  the  very 
best  intentions,  had  given  away  in  reality  all  that 
their  "  extremist "  allies  had  fought  and  died  for ; 
and  Louis  Philippe  began  to  reign,  the  revolution 
having  made  a  distinction  without  a  difference. 
The  new  ruler,  all  affability,  congratulated  his  em- 
ployee on  his  return  from  Soissons,  s-  ing,  "  You 
have  just  written  your  best  drama ! " 

The  affair  of  Soissons,  and  the  excited  state  of 
public  affairs  unsettled  our  susceptible  Dumas. 
Charles  X.  had  taken  refuge  in  England,  but  there 
had  been  for  a  moment  a  fear  that  he  might  flee 
to  La  Vendee,  the  Royalist  provinces,  and  let 
loose  upon  France  the  horrors  of  civil  war.  Dumas, 
knowing  that  the  late  king  had  renounced  the  throne 
in  favour  of  his  grandson  '*  Henri  V."  (the  Comte  de 
Chambord)  whose  mother,  the  Duchesse  de  Berri, 
was  a  woman  of  much  courage  and  determination, 
suggested  that  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  any 
future  rising,  a  national  guard  should  be  organised 
in    the    Royalist    department,    and    that   he    should 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  47 

be  sent  as  a  special  commissioner  to  consult  the 
responsible  officials  upon  the  subject.  Lafayette 
gave  Dumas  the  required  mandate,  and  on  August 
loth  he  set  out. 

Except  that  by  his  intercession  a  poor  wretch  of  a 
coiner  was  saved  from  the  galleys,  Dumas  did  nothing 
notable  during  his  six  weeks  in  La  Vendee  ;  and 
when  on  his  return  Louis  Philippe  sent  for  him,  the 
envoy  declared  very  frankly  that  it  was  useless  to 
attempt  to  organise  the  national  guard  in  La  Vendee  ; 
but  that  if  the  West  were  opened  up,  by  means 
of  hieh-roads,  so  that  communication  between  all 
parts  of  it  might  be  rapid  and  easy,  this  would 
decrease  the  chances  of  a  second  outbreak  of  guerilla- 
warfare.  The  "poet"  prophesied — so  he  tells  us 
— another,  though  a  less  serious.  La  Vendee,  if 
occasion  offered.  Indeed,  only  two  years  later, 
the  Duchesse  de  Berri  aroused  the  "  Chouans  "  once 
more  and  created  a  little  Vendean  rising  on  behalf 
of  her  son. 

But  the  King  did  not  like  the  prophecy. 

"  You  are  a  poet :  write  poetry,  and  leave  politics 
to  kings  and  ministers,"  he  said  with  a  frown. 

"Sire,"  answered  Dumas,  "the  ancients  called 
their  poets  '  seers,'  " 

The  young  author  was  dismissed  from  the  Royal 
presence,  and  sent  in  his  resignation  forthwith. 

The   dramatist    in    Dumas  was    still    subservient 


48  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

to  the  would-be  politician,  when  he  wrote  his  next 
play  "Napoleon,"  which,  if  we  may  believe  the 
"  Memoires,"  was  produced  under  novel  and  comic  cir- 
cumstances. For  some  time  Harel,  the  manager  of 
the  Odeon  theatre,  had  been  pressing  Dumas  to  write 
him  a  play  on  this  subject ;  but  the  young  republican 
could  not  give  his  mind  to  desk-work,  and  moreover, 
the  theme  did  not  appeal  to  him.  One  night,  after  a 
premiere  at  the  Odeon,  Dumas  and  several  other 
guests  went  to  sup  with  Harel,  and  after  the  feast 
Mademoiselle  Georges  led  the  unsuspecting  play- 
wright into  another  room,  "to  show  him  something." 
On  their  return  Dumas  found  that  the  guests  had 
disappeared,  and  the  smiling  Harel  informed  his  coy 
young  author  that  he  was  a  prisoner.  Dumas  was 
startled,  but  took  his  imprisonment  in  good  part. 
He  was  fed  sumptuously  and  treated  like  a  lord  ;  all 
the  books  which  he  required  to  consult  were  at  his 
elbow,  and  in  eight  days  this  enormous  play  was 
ready.  Its  author  confesses  frankly  that  it  is  a  bad 
piece  of  work  ;  but  under  the  circumstances  the 
blame  can  scarcely  be  laid  upon  him,  for  with  him 
the  quality  of  his  work  depended  entirely  upon  his 
inspiration,  which  in  turn  was  a  matter  of  his  own 
initiative. 

One  of  the  causes  of  the  failure  of  "  Napoleon  " 
as  a  work  of  stagecraft  was  possibly  the  author's 
preoccupation,  for  his  mind  was  full  of  the  prospects 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  49 

of  his  famous  play,  "  Antony."  To  the  bulk  of 
British  admirers  of  Dumas  the  very  title  will  be 
strange ;  but  in  France  our  dramatist  was  better 
known,  for  generations,  as  the  author  of  "  Antony," 
than  as  the  writer  of  any  romance  or  play  whatever. 
He  tells  us  that  the  idea  of  the  drama  came  to 
him  at  the  time  when  "  Christine  "  was  temporarily 
forbidden. 

"  One  day  I  was  pacing  the  boulevards  ...  I 
stopped  suddenly,  and  said  to  myself,  *  A  man  who, 
when  surprised  by  the  husband  of  his  mistress, 
should  kill  her,  saying  that  she  had  resisted  him, 
and  who  should  die  on  the  scaffold  in  consequence, 
would  save  the  honour  of  that  woman,  and  expiate 
his  crime.'  The  idea  of  'Antony'  was  found:  six 
weeks  afterwards  the  play  was  written." 

"  When  I  was  writing  '  Antony,' "  says  Dumas 
elsewhere,  "  I  was  in  love  with  a  woman  of  whom 
I  was  terribly  jealous  :  jealous  because  she  was  in 
the  position  of  Adele  (in  the  play)  in  that  she  had 
a  husband,  an  officer  in  the  army.  .  .  .  Read 
'  Antony '  :  he  will  tell  you  what  I  suffered  then." 

M.  Parigot,  in  his  study  "  Le  Drame  dAlex- 
andre  Dumas,"  throws  further  lio^ht  on  this  sub- 
ject.  A  number  of  unpublished  letters  from  the 
lover  to  the  lady  were  placed  in  the  critic's  hands, 
and  he  has  quoted  from  them  exhaustively. 
The    "Adele"   appears  to  have  been  one  Melanie 

D 


50  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

W ,  to  whom  Dumas  was  presented  (as  he  tells 

us  in  "  Le  Testament  de  M.  Chauvelin ")  at  the 
house  of  her  father-in-law,  the  bibliophile  Villenave, 
in  1827.  The  conquest  of  a  lady  of  position  and 
of  some  pretentions  to  learning  evidently  flattered 
the  young  man's  vanity — "  there  was  something  of 
the  air  of  Villers-Cotterets  about  him  still " — and 
the  young  lover  vowed,  cursed,  adored,  despaired,  and 
rhapsodised  for  three  years.  Then  "  Antony  "  was 
written  ;  the  intimacy  had  unconsciously  fulfilled  its 
purpose,  and  came  to  an  end  accordingly.  Mean- 
while this  amorous  heart,  overflowing  with  passion, 
had  found  opportunity  to  fall  in  love  with  another 
Melanie  (the  mother  of  Marie-Alexandre  Dumas), 
with  Marie  Dorval,  and  others.  The  need  for  love 
had  for  the  time  possessed  this  ardent  nature  as 
with  a  fever. 

It  was  of  this  experlment-in-love,  in  which  he 
took  himself  and  his  passion  in  such  tragic  earnest, 
that  Dumas  was  thinking  when  he  wrote  these 
verses,  with  which  he  prefaced   "  Antony  "  : — 

Que  de  fois  tu  m'as  dit,  aux  heures  du  delire, 

Quand  mon  front  tout  h.  coup  devenait  souci  eux : 

"  Sur  ta  bouche  pourquoi  cet  effrayant  souriie? 
Pourquoi  ces  larmes  dans  tes  yeux?" 

Pourquoi  ?     Cast  que  mon  coeur,  au  milieu  des  delices, 
D'un  souvenir  jaloux  constamment  oppresse, 

Froid  au  bonheur  prdsent,  va  chercher  ses  supplices, 
Dans  I'avenir  et  le  passd. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  51 

Jusque  dans  tes  baiscrs  je  retrouve  des  pcines  ; 

Tu  m'accables  d'amour  :  I'amour,  je  m'en  soiiviens, 
Pour  la  premiere  fois  s'est  glisse  dans  tes  veines, 

Sous  d'autres  baisers  que  les  miens. 

Du  feu  des  voluptes  vainement  tu  m'enivres  ; 

Combien  pour  un  beau  jour  de  tristes  lendemains  ! 
Ces  chamies  qu'ii  mes  mains  en  palpitant  tu  livres, 

I'alpiteront  sous  d'autre  mains. 

Et  je  ne  pourrai  pas,  dans  ma  fureur  jalouse, 

De  I'infidelite  te  reserver  le  prix  ! 
Quelques  mots  a  I'autel  t'ont  faite  son  dpouse, 

Et  te  sauvent  de  mon  mepris. 

Car  ces  mots  pour  toujours  ont  vendu  tes  caresses, 
L'amour  ne  les  doit  plus  donner  ni  recevoir  ; 

L'usages  des  ^poux  a  regie  les  tendresses 
Et  leurs  baisers  sont  un  devoir  ! 

Malheur?    Malheur  h  moi  que  le  ciel  en  ce  monde 

A  jetc  comme  un  hote  h.  ses  lois  etranger ! 
A  moi  qui  ne  sais  pas  dans  ma  douleur  profonde 

Souffrir  longtemps  sans  me  venger. 

Malheur  !     Car  une  voix  qui  n'a  rien  de  la  terra 

Ma  dit  "  Pour  ton  bonheur  c'est  sa  mort  qu'il  te  faut ;" 

Et  cette  voix  m'a  fait  comprendre  le  mystcre 
Et  du  meurtre  et  de  I'echafaud. 

Viens,  done,  Ange  du  Mai,  dont  la  voix  me  convie  ! 

Car  il  est  des  instants  ou,  si  je  te  voyais, 
Je  pourrais  pour  son  sang  t'abandonner  ma  vie, 

Et  mon  ame  ...  si  j'y  croyais  ! 

Years  after,  in  his  "  Memoires,"  Dumas  confessed 
that  the  verses  were  poor,  the  sentiment  was 
affected,  and  the  blasphemy  w^as  a  wanton  one — 
prompted,  his  son  has  shrewdly  suggested,  by  the 
rhyme. 


52  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Once  set  at  liberty  by  the  tyrannical  Harel, 
Dumas  hastened  to  the  Com^die  Franc^aise,  where 
"  Antony "  had  been  accepted  and  placed  in  re- 
hearsal. But  Mars  and  Firmin,  the  leading  actor 
and  actress  of  the  national  theatre  at  that  time, 
were  accustomed  to  more  orthodox  roles  than  those 
of  the  weak,  fascinated  Adele,  and  Antony,  the 
masterful  Ishmael-of-society ;  and  the  Comedie 
Fran9aise  itself,  as  our  author  confesses,  was  not 
the  frame  for  such  a  picture.  The  two  artists, 
losing  faith  in  their  parts,  hinted  as  much  to  the 
author,  Firmin  with  diffidence.  Mars  with  a  bold 
pretext.  Dumas  astonished  them  by  demanding 
the  manuscript  from  the  prompter,  and  walking  out 
of  the  theatre. 

It  so  happened  that  M.  Crosnier,  of  the  Porte 
St  Martin,  had  received  Hugo's  "  Marion  Delorme," 
when  that  poet  had  also  abandoned  the  stifling 
atmosphere  of  the  Fran^aise  to  breathe  freer  air 
elsewhere.  The  young  dramatist,  although  pro- 
foundly discouraged  concerning  the  merits  of  his 
latest  born,  went  forthwith  to  Marie  Dorval,  the 
leading  lady  of  the  Porte  St  Martin,  a  clever  actress, 
ready-witted,  naive,  and  full  of  nervous  energy. 
He  read  the  play  to  her,  and  her  trained  and  recep- 
tive intelligence  at  once  saw  the  possibilities  of  the 
piece.  She  shut  the  young  author  into  a  room, 
to  spend  the  night  in  rewriting  the  last  act,  which 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  53 

did  not  appeal  to  her  in  its  original  form  ;  and  next 
day  negotiations  began.  The  play  was  duly  read 
to  the  manager  of  the  Porte  St  Martin  and 
accepted  ;  but  it  was  something  of  a  blow  to  the 
author's  vanity  when  M.  Crosnier  politely  struggled 
with  slumber  during  the  third  act,  slept  comfortably 
in  the  fourth,  and  snored  unrestrainedly  through 
the  fifth ! 

At  length  the  night  of  "Antony's"  birth  arrived, 
and  the  miserable  infant,  which  had  now  been  wait- 
ing two  years  for  its  delivery,  had  given  its  parent 
much  anxiety.  For  once  Dumas  had  lost  that 
maofnificent  confidence  in  himself  which  aided  him 
so  powerfully  in  his  career. 

But  if  the  moment  for  producing  the  play  was 
inopportune — appearing  as  it  did  in  the  midst  of 
distracting  political  ferment — the  social  atmosphere 
was  charged  with  a  feverish  electricity,  which 
die  story  of  "Antony"  attracted  irresistibly  to 
itself.  How  is  a  social  outlaw  like  Antony  to 
win  for  himself  the  lovely  wife  of  a  man  in  high 
society — how  is  he  to  break  through,  and  persuade 
her  to  break  through,  all  the  bars  to  self-abandon- 
ment which  society  has  erected  ?  By  will-power — 
by  the  strength  of  an  unscrupulous  individuality! 
For  such  a  story  of  power  and  passion  the  Parisian 
of  that  day  was  fully  ripe. 

As    the    play   progressed,    the    emotion    of    the 


54  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

audience  mounted  to  a  painful  height.  The  first 
act  ended  in  applause ;  and  the  second  was  as 
warmly  received.  In  the  midst  of  the  play  the 
author,  unconsciously  copying  Goldsmith,  rushed 
out  for  a  time  and  paced  the  boulevards,  unable  to 
face  his  fate.  The  startling  climax  to  the  third  act 
took  away  the  breath  ;  and  for  a  moment  the  fate 
of  the  play  hung  in  suspense :  then  the  theatre 
shook  with  a  rushing  storm  of  applause.  The 
curtain  fell  on  the  fourth  act  amid  frenzied  "bravos." 
"  A  hundred  francs,"  cried  the  excited  author  to 
the  scene-shifters,  "if  the  curtain  goes  up  again 
before  they  stop  applauding ! "  And  the  fifth  act 
actually  commenced  before  the  audience  had  finished 
acclaiming  the  fourth. 

We  have  already  indicated  the  ddnottement  of 
"  Antony."  That  "hero,"  surprised  by  the  husband, 
stabs  Adele,  and  throws  the  dagger  at  the  wronged 
man's  feet,  saying,  "  She  resisted  me  ;  and  I  killed 
her ! " ^ 

*  Dumas  tells  a  story  respecting  this  famous  "  tag  "  which  we  cannot 
omit.  At  a  revival  of  the  play,  some  years  later,  the  prompter,  through 
ignorance,  rang  down  the  curtam  immediately  Antony  had  stabbed 
Adcle.  The  public,  furious  at  being  cheated  of  the  famous  line, 
clamoured  "  Le  dt'no2ie//ie/:t !  le  denouement  I"  Bocage  sulked  in  his 
dressing-room,  and  would  not  return ;  but  Marie  Dorval  good- 
naturedly  remained  on  the  stage,  and  the  curtain  was  rung  up  again, 
in  the  hope  that  Antony  would  feel  obliged  to  return. 

Adcle  was  discovered,  dead,  in  her  chair.  There  was  a  silence. 
At  last  Dorval  rose  slowly,  and  coming  down  to  the  footlights,  re- 
marked pleasantly,  "Gentlemen,  I  resisted  him,  and  he  killed  me." 
Then  she  made  her  best  bow,  and  retired,  amidst  frantic  applause. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  55 

The  curtain  down,  the  audience  in  a  fury  of  im- 
patience demanded  a  sight  of  the  author.  Calls  and 
recalls  followed.  Dumas,  in  rushing  behind  the 
scenes  from  his  box,  took  a  short  cut  through  the 
corridors ;  he  was  recognised,  and  chased  by  a 
crowd  of  young  enthusiasts,  and  his  coat  was  torn 
to  ribbons. 

"  Antony  "  excited  much  enthusiasm  and  oppo- 
sition. It  was  a  daring,  provocative  play,  de- 
stined to  set  the  fashion  in  French  society  dramas 
for  the  rest  of  the  century.  When  it  was  about  to 
be  revived,  three  years  later,  this  time  at  the 
Comedie  Fran^aise,  one  of  the  many  journals  hostile 
to  Dumas  attacked  "  Antony  "  for  its  immorality. 
The  denunciation  came  from  such  a  powerful  quarter 
that  Thiers,  who  had  arranged  not  only  for  the 
revival,  but  for  new  plays  from  its  author's  pen,  was 
forced  to  forbid  the  performance.  Dumas  went  to 
law,  and  obtained  ^400  damages,  and  an  order  that 
the  piece  should  be  produced  within  a  certain  time. 

But  even  "Antony"  failed  to  bring  its  author 
fortune,  so  greatly  were  the  public  preoccupied  by 
things  political ;  and  to  avoid  the  unsettling  atmo- 
sphere of  Paris,  Dumas  went  for  a  holiday  to  Trou- 
ville,  which  in  those  days  was  a  quiet  and  charming 
little  Normandy  seaside  village.  As  usual  with 
him,  Dumas's  holiday  meant  a  different  working- 
place,    for    here    he    was    busy    evolving    his    most 


56  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

poetical  play,  "Charles  VII.,"  inspired,  as  he  ac- 
knowledges, by  De  Mussel's  "  Marrons  au  feu,"  and 
by  "  The  Cid  "  and  "  Andromaque."  Here  also  one 
M.  Beudin  came  to  him  with  the  prologue  of  a  play 
which  afterwards  became  "  Richard  Darlington." 

It  was  on  our  author's  return  from  Trouville,  to 
witness  the  first  night  of  Hugo's  "  Marion  Delorme," 
that  Dumas  encountered  a  kind  friend  who  told  him 
that  he  was  too  late,  and  informed  him  of  the  com- 
parative failure  of  the  play.  The  critic-friend  was 
astounded  to  hear  a  detailed  and  eloquent  eulogy  of 
"  Marion  "  from  the  lips  of  the  author  of  "  Christine." 

When  Dumas  had  finished,  the  critic  shrug-pfed 
his  shoulders  with  an  air  of  profound  amazement. 
"  A  confrere  !  "  he  said.      Further  words  failed  him. 

"Charles  VII.,"  like  "Henri  Trois "  and 
*'  Antony,"  was,  in  spite  of  its  historical  setting,  a 
play  of  the  times — a  challenge  to  the  old  social 
regime  ;  a  part  of  the  romantic  movement ;  a  power- 
ful plea  for  individuality.  This  Dumas  himself 
declared,  in  the  lines  which  he  prefixed  to  his 
"  Comme  je  devins  auteur  dramatique "  (the  first 
draft  of  his  "Memoires")  in   1833 — 

"  Un  jour  on  connaitra  quelle  lutte  obstin^e 
A  fait  sous  mon  genou  plier  la  destince  ; 
A  quelle  source  amere  en  mon  ame  j'ai  pris 
Tout  ce  qu'elle  contient  de  haine  et  de  mcpris  : 
Quel  orage  peut  faire,  en  passant  sur  la  tcte, 
Qu'on  prenne  pour  le  jour  I'eclair  d'un  tempete, 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  57 

Et  ce  que  I'homme  souffre  en  ses  convulsions, 
Quand  au  volcan  du  cceur  grondent  les  passions. 
Je  ne  cacherai  plus  oil  ma  plume  tidcle 
A  trouve  d'Antony  le  type  et  le  modcle, 
Et  je  dirai  tout  haut  ii  quels  foyers  brulants 
Yaquoub '  et  Saint  Megrin  puiserent  leurs  elans.  .  .  ." 

"Charles  VII."  was  a  failure,  or  at  best  a  stcccds 
cTestime.  Dumas  fits  has  told  us  how  sadly  he  and 
his  father  walked  homeward  after  the  play ;  for  the 
tragedy  had  contained  its  author's  most  conscious 
and  most  literary  attempt  at  poetry;  and  all  his  many 
successes  in  life  never  compensated  Dumas  for  the 
fact  that  he  was  not  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word  a 
poet,  and  could  not  disguise  the  fact  from  himself. 

"  Charles  VII."  was  of  the  school  of  "  Christine," 
and  was  the  result  of  Dumas's  occasional  yearnings 
after  a  classical  reputation ;  but  the  drama-proper 
was  his  more  conq-enial  mcHier.  "  Richard  Darlinsf- 
ton,"  a  legitimate  son  of  "  Antony,"  was  successfully 
produced,  and  became  one  of  its  author's  favourite 
plays.  In  spite  of  this  Dumas,  who  on  this  occasion 
had  collaborators,  refused  to  allow  his  name  to  be 
announced,  even  as  part-author.  Unfortunately 
"  Richard  Darlington "  will  be  read  by  English 
people — if  it  is  read  at  all — with  more  amusement 
than  respect ;  for  the  scene  is  laid  in  England,  and 
the  details  of  our  social  life  which  it  offers  have  all 
the  piquancy  of  novelty,  and  discount  the  dramatic 
strength  of  the  play. 

'  The  "hero"  of  "Charles  VII." 


58  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

An  incident  which  we  find  in  the  "  Memoires " 
gives  us  an  interesting  insight  into  the  author's  skill 
and  knowledge  of  stage-craft.  Whilst  Dumas  was 
busy  writing  "  Richard  Darlington  "  with  Goubaud, 
he  stopped  short  at  one  point,  unable  to  advance. 
It  was  at  the  crisis  when  the  ambitious  Richard, 
anxious  to  get  rid  of  Jenny,  his  plebeian  wife,  so 
that  he  may  marry  into  higher  society,  determines  to 
make  away  with  her.  Someone  is  coming  up  the 
stairs  ;  if  the  existence  of  this  wife  is  discovered  by 
the  newcomer,  all  Darlington's  plans  will  be  over- 
thrown. The  only  obvious  resource  is  to  throw 
Jenny  out  of  the  window  into  the  rushing  torrent 
below.  This  is  where  the  skilled  dramatist  dis- 
covers and  resolves  a  problem  of  stage-management. 
It  would  revolt  the  audience  to  see  a  woman 
struggling  for  life  every  inch  of  the  way  to  that 
window  ;  it  would  make  them  laugh,  if  the  husband, 
in  lifting  his  victim  to  hurl  her  to  death,  should 
expose  her  ankles. 

At  length  the  idea  came,  and  Dumas  like 
Columbus  with  the  egg,  broke  the  end,  and  made 
it  stand,  thus  : 

Darlington  threatens  Jenny;  she  rushes  towards 
the  balcony,  crying  for  help.  He  follows  her,  closing 
the  foldinof  doors  of  the  recess  behind  them.  "  A 
cry  pierces  the  silence.  Richard  strikes  the  doors 
with  his  fist,  they  fly  open  and  disclose  him  on  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  59 

balcony,  pale,  wiping  the  sweat  from  his  brow,  and 
alone. 

Jenny  has  disappeared — Voi/d  iout  f" 
It  was  at  this  period  of  his  fortunes,  when  he  was 
writing  with  Anicet  Bourgeois  "  Teresa,"  which  he 
describes  as  "one  of  my  worst,"  and  "Angele," 
which  he  considered  one  of  his  best  plays,  that 
Dumas  gave  his  famous  ball.  As  he  wished  to 
invite  three  hundred  guests,  and  had  only  four 
rooms  in  which  to  receive  them,  he  hired  another 
suite  from  his  landlord.  Three  days  before  the 
eventful  night,  Dumas  turned  ten  of  the  foremost 
painters  of  France  into  these  empty  rooms  to  deco- 
rate them,  and  as  the  great  men  were  all  friends  of 
the  young  author,  this  was  at  once  an  economy,  an 
attraction,  and  a  novelty.  With  the  same  object  of 
saving  expense,  Dumas  took  some  friends  out  of 
town,  and  they  shot  their  own  game  for  the  feast. 
It  was  a  brilliant  affair,  for  it  was  a  costume  ball, 
and  all  Bohemia-in- Paris  gathered  in  the  little  rooms, 
which  by  midnight  were  crowded  with  dazzling 
dresses,  and  filled  with  laughter  and  music.  Here, 
among  others,  came  Lafayette,  Rossini,  De  Musset, 
Sue,  Lemaitre,  Mars,  Georges,  Dejazet  and  Dela- 
croix— who  had  painted  the  panel  allotted  to  him  in 
two  or  three  hours  !  M.  Tissot,  of  the  Academy, 
went  "made  up"  as  a  sick  man,  whereupon  Jadin 
followed  him  as  a  long-faced,  funereal-looking  under- 


60  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

taker,  and  dogged  the  other's  footsteps,  croaking  out 
lugubriously  every  other  minute,  "  I'm  waiting  for 
you  !  I'm  waiting  for  you  !  "  The  party  broke  up  at 
nine  in  the  morning,  with  a  wild  galop  in  the  street. 

And  now  events  conspired  to  work  an  important 
change  in  Dumas's  life.  So  far,  the  author  of 
"  Antony,"  under  the  influence  of  Goethe  and 
Byron,  had  "posed"  in  his  writings,  as  a  Manfred 
or  a  Mephistopheles ;  and  with  folded  arms  and 
cynic  laugh  had  affected  to  deny,  and  disdain, 
the  virtues  and  pleasures  of  the  world.  But  one 
day  Dumas  wrote  a  begging-letter  for  his  friend 
Lassailly,  who,  on  reading  the  note,  turned  to  its 
author  with  a  stupefied  air. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  this  is  comical!  " 

"  What  is  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  have  wit ! " 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  ?     Envious  fellow!  '* 

"  Well,  you're  probably  the  first  man  of  five  feet 
nine  who  has  ever  been  witty !  " 

Dumas  has  himself  defined  and  described  his 
own  gaiety.  "  Some  folk,"  he  says,  "  are  gay  be- 
cause they're  well,  or  have  a  good  digestion,  or 
have  nothing  to  worry  about — that  is  the  ordinary 
«  gaiety.  But  mine  is  invariable  gaiety,  which  shines 
through  disturbing  influences,  through  troubles, 
through  danger  itself" 

The  young  writer  had  been  unconscious  of  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  61 

existence  of  this  unfashionable  quahty  ;  but  it  was 
destined  to  show  itself  henceforth  —  first  in  his 
books  of  travel,  and  afterwards  in  his  comedies  and 
romances  ;  and,  in  short,  more  or  less  in  everything 
he  wrote  or  spoke. 

Dumas's  gaiety  does  not,  perhaps,  appear  in  his 
first  romance — if  we  can  call  it  so — of  "  Isabel  de 
Baviere."  Four  of  his  friends  had  previously 
scraped  together  a  little  money,  and  started  the 
world  -  famous  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  and 
Dumas  agreed  to  assist  the  new-born  with  his  pen. 
The  "  Histoire  des  Dues  de  Bourgoyne  "  of  Barante 
made  a  powerful  impression  upon  him  at  this  time, 
"finishing,"  he  says,  "the  work  begun  by  Scott." 
Still,  the  young  author  did  not  feel  strong  enough 
to  write  an  entirely  original  romance ;  and  he  there- 
fore put  into  a  picturesque  form,  and  into  dialogue, 
selected  scenes  from  Barante,  which  he  first  called 
"  Scenes  Historiques,"  and  which  proved  a  great 
success  in  the  pages  of  the  Revue.  This  decided 
the  ambitious  author  to  write  forthwith  the  history 
of  France  from  the  days  of  Charles  »V I.  to  his  own. 
It  is  hardly  credible — and  yet  Dumas  confesses  to 
it — his  ignorance  of  history  at  this  period  was  so 
profound  that  he  was  studying  it  by  the  aid  of 
poetic  tags  ! — 

"  En  I'an  quatre-cent-vingt,  Pharamond,  premier  ro3, 
Est  connu  seulement  par  la  salique  loi."  .  .  . 


62  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

The  novelist  was  delivered  from  this  school-book 
thraldom  by  a  more  learned  friend,  and  introduced 
to  Thierry's  "  Conquete  des  Normands."  History 
became  a  passion  with  him,  and  the  days  of  that 
tremendous  historic-romance-cycle  grew  nearer  and 
nearer. 

In  1832  the  cholera  swept  over  Paris,  emptying 
the  theatres,  filling  the  cemeteries,  and  carrying 
terror  everywhere.  Nevertheless  it  could  not 
daunt  our  author's  new-found  gaiety  :  he  wrote  the 
dialogue  of  one  of  his  wittiest  plays — "  Le  Mari  de 
la  Veuve  " — for  an  actress  who  was  about  to  take 
a  benefit,  and  who  begged  from  Dumas  some 
novelty  to  put  on  the  bills.  Every  night  a  group 
of  friends  forgathered  in  Dumas's  rooms.  *'We 
chatted  ;  sometimes  Hugo  decided  to  recite  us  some 
of  his  poetry ;  Liszt  thumped  hard  on  a  wretched 
piano,  and  the  evening  passed  by  without  one 
of  us  thinking  any  more  of  the  cholera  than  if  it 
had  been  at  Pekin." 

But  one  evening,  immediately  after  Dumas  had 
watched  his  joyous  friends  depart,  he  himself  was 
seized  with  the  cholera.  For  five  or  six  days  he 
was  prostrate  and  in  great  danger,  but  his  wonder- 
ful physique  withstood  the  attack  of  the  terrible 
disease.  The  first  person  to  greet  him  in  his 
convalescence  was  Harel,  the  manager  of  the 
Odeon.     The  cholera,  he   cheerfully  declared,  had 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  63 

"gone  away  without  even  making  its  expenses," 
and  he  pressed  the  fever-ridden  author  to  set  about 
a  new  play.  This  was  destined  to  be  "  La  Tour  de 
Nesle."  The  plot  of  that  drama  was  common  pro- 
perty ;  from  Villon's  day  all  French  readers  had 
known  of  the  vile  Queen  Marguerite  of  Burgundy, 
of  her  foul,  nightly  revels  in  the  terrible  Tower,  and 
of  the  bodies  which  were  found  in  the  Seine  next 
morning.  It  may  be  added  that  there  is  not  a 
horror,  or  an  incredible  incident  in  the  play,  which 
history  has  not  only  justified,  but  asserted. 

The  authorship  of  the  play  led  to  a  long  and 
acrimonious  dispute,  which  is  best  described  in  the 
words  of  Mr  Walter  Herries  Pollock  : 

"It  seems  to  me  that  no  one  who  devotes  a 
moderate  attention  to  his  dramatic  works  can 
reasonably  doubt  that  in  the  celebrated  quarrel 
about  the  play  called  the  '  Tour  de  Nesle,'  right 
was  on  the  side  of  Dumas.  This  quarrel  is  worth 
some  attention.  The  story  takes  up  some  four 
chapters  of  Dumas's  'Memoires';  but  briefly,  the 
main  facts  were  these  : 

"  Harel,  the  great  theatrical  manager,  had  re- 
ceived a  play  in  manuscript  from  a  young  author 
named  Gaillardet.  He  thought  there  was  caj|ital 
stuff  in  it ;  but  as  it  was  written  it  was  quite  unfitted 
for  stage  representation  on  account  of  the  author's 
inexperience.     Jules  Janin  had  tried  to  do  something 


64  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

with  it,  and  had  failed.  Harel  then  came  to  Dumas, 
who,  according  to  his  own  account,  which  I  for  one 
beheve,  entirely  remodelled  it,  and  made  of  it  one 
of  the  most  impressive  melodramas  ever  put  on  the 
stage.  He  had  previously  written  a  somewhat 
imprudently  self-effacing  letter  to  the  young  author, 
who,  instead  of  being  grateful,  was  furious  at  having, 
as  he  said,  a  collaborator  thrust  upon  him,  and  ended 
by  writing  to  the  papers  to  assert  that  he  was  the 
sole  author  of  the  piece. 

"  The  matter  went  throuo^h  all  kinds  of  intricacies 
into  which  it  would  be  tedious  to  go ;  but  the  last 
word  which  ought  to  be  said  about  it  is  found  in  a 
letter  written  by  Gaillardet  in  1861  to  the  manager  of 
the  Porte  St  Martin  theatre.     The  letter  runs  thus  : 

"*A  judgment  of  the  courts  in  1832  decreed 
that  the  "  Tour  de  Nesle "  should  be  printed  and 
announced  under  my  name  alone ;  and  this  was 
done  up  to  the  date  of  its  being  forbidden  by  the 
censorship  in  185  i. 

"  *  Now  that  you  are  going  to  put  it  on  the  stage 
again,  I  give  you  permission — nay,  more,  I  beg 
you — to  join  to  my  name  that  of  Alexandre  Dumas, 
my  collaborator.  I  wish  to  prove  to  him  that  I 
have,  forgotten  our  old  quarrel,  and  that  I  remember 
only  our  later  pleasant  relations,  and  the  great  share 
which  his  incomparable  talent  had  in  the  success  of 
the  "Tourde  Nesle."'" 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  65 

The  success  of  the  drama,  indeed,  equalled  that  of 
"  Antony."  Yet,  although  Dumas  was  determined 
that  Gaillardet  should  receive  the  sole  credit  of  the 
play,  a  quarrel  developed — for  which  Harel's  un- 
scrupulous behaviour  as  the  go  -  between  was  re- 
sponsible— and  a  duel  was  fought,  fortunately  with 
no  serious  results. 

But  no  sooner  was  our  ardent  hero  out  of  this 
scrape  than  he  got  into  another.  There  was  a 
Republican  riot  during  the  funeral  of  General 
Lamarque,  a  devoted  servant  of  France  and  of 
Napoleon.  Dumas  took  part  in  the  riot ;  and  next 
day  he  read,  in  a  legitimist  paper,  that  he  had  been 
taken  with  arms  in  his  hand,  summarily  court- 
martialled,  and  shot ! 

"The  news,"  says  Dumas,  "was  of  so  authentic  a 
nature,  the  details  of  my  execution  were  so  circum- 
stantial, the  information  came  from  such  an  infallible 
source,  that  I  experienced  a  moment's  doubt.  I  felt 
myself  all  over ! "  Nodier  wrote  to  say  that  he  had 
heard  of  Dumas's  death,  and  expressed  a  hope  that 
it  would  not  prevent  him  from  dining  with  a  few 
friends  on  the  morrow.  The  other  replied  that  he 
was  not  at  all  sure  whether  he  was  living  or  not,  but 
that  either  in  body  or  in  spirit  he  would  come  to 
dinner.  He  added  that,  as  he  had  eaten  nothing 
for  six  weeks  there  would  probably  be  more  of  his 
spirit  than  his  body  present. 

r. 


66  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

But  if  he  had  not  been  shot,  and  if  the  cholera 
had  failed  to  kill  him,  Dumas  was  still  in  some 
danger.  One  of  the  king's  aides-de-camp  gave  the 
literary  politician  a  hint  that  the  question  of  his 
arrest  was  being  considered,  and  advised  a  tempor- 
ary absence  from  Paris.  Accordingly  Dumas  set 
out  in  July,   1832  for  Switzerland. 

This  tour,  the  account  of  which  delighted  the 
public  by  its  freshness,  gaiety  and  picturesque  style, 
possessed  one  or  two  notable  features.  With  true 
journalistic  instinct  Dumas  called  on  Chateaubriand, 
the  self-exiled  Royalist  poet,  and  chatted  to  him  of 
politics ;  he  interviewed  Jacques  Balmat,  and  heard 
from  the  lips  of  the  guide  his  narrative  of  the  first 
ascent  of  Mont  Blanc  ;  and  he  wrote  the  famous 
fable  of  the  "  bear-beefsteak,"  which  he  pretended  to 
have  eaten  at  a  certain  inn.  Thenceforth  travellers 
by  the  score  stopped  at  that  inn  and  called  for  bear- 
steak,  and  the  unhappy  landlord,  quite  unable  to 
satisfy  the  guests  either  with  his  explanations  or 
with  the  required  dish,  went  nearly  mad,  and  cursed 
the  very  name  of  Dumas. 

The  most  interesting  portion  of  the  "  Impressions 
de  Voyage  en  Suisse,"  from  a  serious  point  of  view, 
is  tl;ie  account  of  Dumas's  interview  at  Arenenburg 
with  Hortense  Bonaparte,  ex-Queen  of  Holland, 
and  mother  of  Louis  Napoleon,  afterwards  Napoleon 
III.    The  young  Republican  philosopher  did  not  hold 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  67 

out  any  hopes  to  the  royal  exile  of  a  restoration  by 
force,  or  by  the  power  of  the  Napoleonic  tradition 
alone.  In  reply  to  a  request  from  the  queen  for 
advice  as  to  the  means  by  which  one  of  her  family 
might  re-establish  the  dynasty,  Dumas  replied  : 

"  I  would  say  to  him,  obtain  the  revocation  of 
your  exile  ;  buy  a  home  in  France  ;  cause  yourself 
to  be  elected  deputy  ;  and  try  by  force  of  your  talent 
to  secure  a  majority  in  the  chamber,  and  make  use 
of  it  to  overthrow  Louis  Philippe,  and  get  yourself 
chosen  king  in  his  stead."  Sixteen  years  later  Louis 
Napoleon  followed  this  advice  pretty  closely,  and  his 
success  is  a  matter  of  history. 

The  Swiss  holiday  was  followed  by  a  brief  visit  to 
England  in  1833,  and  a  tour  in  the  South  of  France, 
which  was  much  more  lengthy.  The  following  year 
Dumas  started  for  Italy,  with  his  friend  Jadin,  and 
"Mylord,"  the  bull-dog.  He  was  arrested  at  Naples 
as  a  dangerous  "  red,"  and  it  was  only  when  he  pro- 
duced papers  proving  that  he  was  entrusted  with  a 
private  mission  by  the  French  Government  that  he 
was  released.  In  November  of  the  following  year  the 
traveller  was  privileged  to  have  an  interview  with 
Pope  Gregory  XVI. — after  which  he  was  arrested 
a  second  time ! 

The  next  year  or  two  passed  in  the  most  delight 
ful  way;   Dumas  enjoyed  himself  like  a  schoolboy 
In    holiday-time,    sailing    round     Sicily,     exploiting 


68  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Naples  and  Florence,  and  ''earning  his  keep"  by 
writing  most  entertaining  accounts  of  his  adventures. 

On  his  return  "  Catherine  Howard,"  "  Don 
Juan  "  and  "  Kean  "  were  produced  in  successive 
years.  "  Kean,"  as  played  by  Frederick  Lemaitre, 
made  a  strong  impression  on  Heine  and  others, 
but  in  spite  of  its  English  milieu,  the  play  is  so 
French  in  spirit  as  to  appeal  most  to  our  sense 
of  humour.  Thackeray,  who  was  visiting  Paris 
about  this  period,  was  terribly  shocked  by  the 
naive  and  earnest  irreverence  of  "Don  Juan" 
and  "  Calieula."  In  his  "  Paris  Sketch-book  "  he 
has  denounced  them,  both,  in  that  bluff  "  damn- 
everything-that-isn't-English  "  style,  so  cheap,  yet 
so  dear  to  the  public. 

Dumas  had  been  on  familiar  terms  with  the 
young  Duke  of  Chartres,  who  succeeded  to  the 
title  of  "  Duke  of  Orleans  "  (which  corresponded 
to  our  "  Prince  of  Wales "),  when  his  father  ob- 
tained the  throne.  In  1836  our  author  had  stayed 
with  the  prince  at  Compiegne,  and  when  the  heir 
was  married  in  1837,  and  fetes  were  held  at 
Versailles  in  honour  of  the  occasion,  four  crosses 
of  the  Legion  of  Honour  were  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  young  prince.  Dumas  received  one 
of  them — a  knight's  cross.  Seven  years  before, 
on  the  morrow  of  "  Christine,"  Louis  Philippe 
himself,   at    his    son's    request,    had    asked    for    the 


ALEXANDRE  DU:MAS  69 

cross  for  his  young  employee  from  Charles  X.,  but 
had  been  refused.  Dumas's  name  was  on  this 
occasion  removed  from  the  list  by  the  King's  own 
order ;  upon  which  Hugo,  who  was  about  to  re- 
ceive an  officer's  cross,  declined  the  promotion  in- 
dignantly. The  offending  name  was  accordingly 
re-entered  on  the  list,  and  the  two  friends  went 
to  the  fete  torether,  and  left  it  arm-in-arm.  But 
Alexandre  felt  that  the  honour  came  too  late. 
Instead  of  fastening  it  to  his  button-hole,  he  put 
it  in  his  fob. 

By  this  time  Dumas  had  become  so  famous 
that,  with  his  artless  vanity,  his  outspoken  ways, 
and  his  unbusiness-like  methods,  he  had  earned  a 
host  of  enemies,  mockers,  detractors,  denunciators 
and  the  like.  His  "  Calio'ula "  failed,  although  it 
was  produced  at  the  Comedie  Francaise  in  the 
most  costly  fashion  ;  and  its  author  discovered 
that  the  leader  of  the  claque  (or  organised  gang 
of  applauders)  had  been  bribed  by  a  number  of 
actors,  who  were  not  performing  in  the  play,  to 
do  all  he  could  to  damn  the  piece  ! 

In  1838  Dumas  suffered  the  great  misfortune 
of  his  life.  His  mother,  to  whom  he  had  been 
so  passionately  attached,  died  suddenly.  Friends 
brought  him  the  news  that  Madame  Dumas  had 
been  seized  with  a  second  apoplectic  stroke.  The 
first  attack,  eight  years  befure,  had  partly  disabled 


70  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  sufferer,  and  this  one  proved  almost  imme- 
diately fatal.  The  dying  woman  was  able  to 
open  her  eyes  and  look  on  her  son  once  more — 
and  that  was  all.  With  a  choking  heart  Dumas 
sent  word  of  the  event  to  his  young  patron,  and 
an  hour  later  the  kindly  duke  was  at  the  street 
door  in  his  carriage.  The  mourner  ran  out,  at 
this  sign  of  friendly  sympathy,  and  kneeling  at 
the  prince's  feet,  burst  into  tears.  There  was  re- 
morse mingled  with  grief  in  this  passion  of  regret 
for  the  life  that  was  passing  away  in  the  room 
above,  for  although  Alexandre  had  usually  visited 
his  mother  constantly,  and  shown  her  every  loving 
mark  of  affection,  there  had  also  been  periods  of 
absence  and  neglect,  which  now  he  regretted  only 
too  keenly. 

At  the  foot  of  the  sketch  of  his  dead  mother, 
which  Duval  drew,  Dumas  wrote  these  lines  — 

"  Oh,  mon  Dieu  !  Dans  ce  monde  ou  toute  bouche  nie, 
Oil  chacun  foule  aux  pieds  les  Tables  de  la  Loi, 
Vous  m'avez  entendu,  pendant  son  agonie, 
Prier  h.  deux  genoux,  le  coeur  ardent  de  foi. 
Vous  m'avez  vu,  mon  Dieu,  sur  la  funebre  route, 
Oil  la  mort  me  courbait  devant  un  crucifix, 
Et  vous  avez  comptc  les  pleurs  qui,  goutte  h.  goutte, 
Ruisselaient  de  mes  yeux  aux  pieds  de  Votre  Fils. 
Je  demandais,  mon  Dieu,  que  moins  vite  ravie, 
Vous  retardiez  I'instant  de  son  dernier  adieu  : 
Pour  racheter  ses  jours  je  vous  offrais  ma  vie  ; 
Vous  n'avez  pas  voulu  :  soyez  beni,  mon  Dieu  '."^ 

^  ("  Oh,  my  God,  in  this  world,  where  all  men  deny  Thee,  where  the 
feet  of  men  spurn  the  Tables  of  Thy  Laws,  Thou  hast  heard  me,  as  I 


ALEXAINDRE  DUMAS  71 

It  was  in  the  next  few  years  that  Dumas,  in 
the  interval  of  travels  and  foreign  residence,  wrote 
the  three  comedies  which  seem  destined  to  out- 
live his  dramas,  and  to  prove  in  the  future  the 
sole  support  of  his  reputation  as  a  playwright. 
These  were  "  Mademoiselle  de  Belle-Isle,"  "  Un 
Manage  sous  Louis  Ouinze,"  and  "  Les  Demoi- 
selles de  St  Cyr."  These  plays,  which  sparkle 
with  wit  and  are  alive  with  interest,  are  still  in 
the  repertoire  of  the  Comedie  Francaise.  The 
"Manage"  was  "commanded"  by  the  responsible 
Minister  (fancy  the  Home  Secretary  ordering  a 
play  from  Mr  Grundy  for  the  Lyceum  !),  was  written 
in  Italy,  and  sent  in  to  the  theatre.  On  the 
author's  return,  his  enemies  in  the  company  told 
him  gleefully  that  the  comedy  had  been  rejected. 
Dumas  quietly  produced  the  Minister's  letter,  and 
informed  the  dismayed  actors  that  they  had  no 
option  but  to  play  it,  whether  they  liked  it  or 
they  didn't.     Tableau ! 

Dumas  now  led  a  roving  life.  In  1838  he  had 
visited   Belgium  and   the   Rhine ;    two   years   later 

knelt  at  her  feet,  throughout  her  agony,  praying,  with  a  heart  full  of 
faith.  Thou  hast  seen  me,  oh  God,  go  with  her  on  that  last  sad 
journey,  when  Death's  hand  bowed  my  back  and  bent  my  gaze  on  the 
crucifix,  and  Thou  didst  count  the  tears  that  one  by  one  streamed 
from  my  eyes  on  the  feet  of  Thy  Son.  I  asked,  oh  God,  that  Thou 
wouldst  delay  for  a  while,  however  brief,  the  last  parting  of  mother 
and  son.  To  purchase  life  for  her  I  would  have  sold  my  own.  It  was 
not  Thy  will :  be  Thou  blest,  oh  my  God  I ''') 


72  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

he  went  to  Italy,  returning  there  in  1841  and  again 
in  1842.  In  1840  he  married  Mdlle.  Ida  Ferrier, 
a  fascinating  woman  but  a  second-rate  actress,  who 
appeared  in  her  husband's  tragedy-drama  "  Cah- 
gula,"  and  other  subsequent  plays.  The  marriage 
was  a  very  ill-advised  one,  and  finally  extravagance 
and  irreconcilable  differences  of  character  combined 
caused  the  lady  to  leave  her  husband  and  go  to 
live  in  Florence.  She  never  returned  to  France, 
and  died  in   Italy  in    1859. 

The  "  Comtesse  Dash,"  an  intimate  friend  of 
Dumas  and  his  wife,  has  given  us,  if  not  the  real 
excuse  for  his  "immorality,"  at  least  the  true  ex- 
planation of  it : 

"  A  woman  who  would  have  loved  him  enough 
to  love  him  as  he  wished  to  be  loved  (she  writes 
in  her  "  Memoires  dAutres  "),  a  woman  who  would 
have  had  the  tact  to  close  her  eyes  to  his  pranks, 
and  make  home  comfortable,  so  that  he  could  invite 
his  friends  there ;  and  above  all,  who  zuoic/d  not 
have  disturbed  him  in  his  work — that  woman  would 
have  been  perfectly  and  eternally  happy  with  him." 

The  character  of  Madame  Dumas  has  been 
clearly  drawn  for  us  by  the  same  pen.  "  Ida " 
was  a  beautiful  woman  of  mediocre  abilities  and 
with  a  jealous,  narrow  and  contemptible  nature. 
She  tolerated  little  Marie,  Dumas's  daughter,  but 
hated   young    Alexandre,   because  of  the  love    his 


ALEXANDRE  DU.AIAS  73 

father  bore  him.  The  two  were  obh'g-ed  to  meet 
by  stealth,  for  the  young-  man  was  not  allowed  In 
the  house.  As  the  actress  "  Mademoiselle  Ferrier  " 
forced  Dumas  to  gi^e  her  parts  to  which  her 
talents  were  not  equal  ;  as  a  mistress  she  was 
furiously  jealous  of  every  other  woman,  and  played 
practical  jokes  of  doubtful  taste  on  the  master. 
Dumas  bore  patiently  with  her  extravagance,  her 
constant  interruption  of  his  work,  and  the  daily 
quarrel  which  seemed  necessary  to  her  existence  ; 
but  soon  after  the  pair  were  married  the  connec- 
tion came  to  Its  inevitable  end. 

Whilst  Dumas  was  staying  at  the  Villa  Palmierl 
at  Florence,  early  in  1842,  old  Jerome  Bonaparte 
suggested  that  the  author  should  take  the  young- 
Prince  Napoleon,  who  was  just  returning  from 
Wurtemburg,  for  a  cruise,  with  the  object  of 
"teaching  him  France."  The  nephew  of  the  great 
Emperor  naturally  desired  to  visit  both  Elba  and 
Corsica  ;  and  it  was  during  this  trip  that  the 
travellers  espied  from  the  mainland  of  Elba,  the 
insignificant  islet  of  IMonte  Cristo.  Curiosity 
prompted  them  to  visit  It,  and  Dumas  was  so 
much  struck  by  the  appearance  of  the  picturesque 
little  spot  that  he  resolved  to  use  Its  name  as 
the  title  of  his  forthcominof  romance. 

It  was  one  of  Dumas's  laughing  complaints  that 
Scribe  was  considered  a  "  moral "  writer,   whilst  he 


74  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

himself  was  looked  upon  as  immoral.  Therefore, 
when  the  opportunity  came  to  him  to  play  a  prac- 
tical joke  on  his  confrh^e  he  could  not  resist. 

Whilst  Dumas  was  staying-  in  Florence  about 
this  time  an  actor-friend  of  his,  named  Doligny, 
came  to  him  and  asked  permission  to  play  some 
of  his  best-known  dramas.  The  author  gfave  his 
consent  willingly,  but  warned  the  actor  that  the 
authorities  would  refuse  him  permission  to  perform. 
When  Doligny  returned  he  confessed  that  his 
friend  was  right — the  censor  had  rejected  the  plays 
by  "  that  immoral  writer"  —  but  Dumas  came  to 
the  rescue.  He  took  Doligny  with  him  to  the 
office  of  a  friendly  printer,  and  ordered  new  covers 
for  the  four  plays  in  question.  It  was  very 
simple : — 

In  place  of  "  Richard  Darlington,  by  A.  Dumas," 
was  printed  "Ambition,  or  the  Executioner's  Son, 
by  Eugene  Scribe." 

In  place  of  "  Angele,  by  A.  Dumas,"  was  printed 
"A  Ladder  of  Petticoats,  by  Eugene  Scribe." 

Instead  of  "Antony,  by  A.  Dumas,"  was  printed 
"  Love's  Victim,  by  Eugene  Scribe." 

"Instead  of  "La  Tour  de  Nesle,  by  MM. 
Gaillardet  and  A.  Dumas,"  was  printed  "Adultery 
Punished,  by  Eugene  Scribe." 

The  old  plays  with  the  new  coats — if  we  may 
believe    Dumas — duly   passed    the    censor   without 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  75 

comment ;  the  public  found  the  plays  masterpieces 
of  improving-  literature,  and  the  grand-duke 
applauded  them  furiously ! 

In  July  of  the  same  year  Dumas  heard  of  the 
sudden  and  shocking  death  of  the  young  Duke 
of  Orleans,  \vho  was  thrown  from  his  carriage, 
through  his  horses  taking  fright,  and  mortally  in- 
jured. Full  of  grief,  the  author  hurried  post-haste 
to  Paris,  and  arrived  just  in  time  for  the  funeral 
ceremonies,  and  the  interment  at  Dreux.  His 
sorrow  for  the  promising  young  prince,  of  which 
there  is  no  reason  for  doubting  the  sincerity,  was 
artless  and  unrestrained,  and  afforded  his  enemies 
ample  scope  for  mockery. 

Dumas,  like  most  French  authors,  had  a  desire 
to  be  judged  Immortal  whilst  he  lived,  and  had 
already  more  than  once  put  himself  forward  for 
election  to  the  Academy,  and  in  particular  to  the 
seat  vacant  by  the  death  of  his  old  colleague  and 
rival  Casimir  Delavigne,  the  author  of  "  Louis  XI." 
But  in  1S43,  as  on  previous  occasions,  he  was  re- 
jected by  the  Forty,  whose  orthodoxy  was  shocked 
by  the  audacious  methods  of  this  wicked  "  Romantic." 
On  one  occasion  Hugo  would  have  nominated  Dumas 
for  a  vacant  chair,  but  there  were  only  thirteen 
Academicians  present  and  twenty-one  votes  were 
necessary  for  election.  Dumas  consoled  himself 
with    the    fact    that   he    occupied    the    "forty-first 


76  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

fauteuil "  in  good  company,  and  recollecting  the 
treatment  which  the  Academy  had  meted  out  to 
great  Frenchmen,  from  Corneille  and  Moliere, 
downward.  Repulsed  once  more,  he  returned 
to  Florence,  saying  to  himself,  "  Je  demande  a 
etre  le  qnaranticme,  mais  il  parait  qu'on  me  faire 
faire  quarantaijie ! "  ("  I  ask  to  be  made  the 
fortieth,  but  it  appears  they  wish  to  keep  me  in 
quarantine ! ") 

The  year  1844  was  one  of  the  great  years  in 
the  life  of  Dumas.  "  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires" 
and  "  Monte  Cristo "  both  appeared  at  that  time, 
and  were  welcomed  enthusiastically  by  the  public. 
During  their  progress  in  feitilleton  form,  people 
had  discussed  the  sayings  and  doings  of  DArtagnan 
or  Dantes  as  if  the  men  were  alive,  and  known  to 
everybody — as,  indeed,  they  were.  Villemessant 
tells  us  how  he  woke  his  wife  in  the  night  to  tell 
her  of  the  escape  in  the  sack  from  the  Chateau 
d'lf;  and  Gautier  has  described  amusingly  enough 
the  grip  which  the  two  books  obtained  on  the 
imagination  of  the  Parisian  public.  Dumas  had 
achieved  a  second  fame. 

In  his  preface  to  "  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires," 
Alexandre  Dumas  yf/^  has  left  us  a  charming  picture 
of  his  father  at  the  time  these  great  romances  were 
written.  Their  author  was  then  working  in  some 
modest  lodgings,  overlooking  the  courtyard  of  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  77 

house  (No.  2  2  Rue  de  Rivoli),  his  rooms  plainly 
furnished  with  a  big  white-wood  table,  a  sofa,  two 
chairs,  a  few  books  on  the  mantelpiece,  and  an 
iron  bedstead,  where  he  slept  for  a  few  hours  when 
the  evening-'s  work  was  prolonged  into  the  night. 
"It  was  there,"  adds  the  son,  addressing  his  father 
in  apostrophe,  "  that  you  sought  refuge,  to  be  un- 
disturbed by  the  importunate,  and  all  the  parasites 
who  incessantly  besieged  that  door  which  you 
did  not  close  half  often  enough.  Clothed  in  your 
pantalons  a  pied  and  shirt  sleeves,  your  arms  bare 
to  the  shoulder,  your  collar  unfastened,  you  sat 
down  to  work  at  seven  in  the  morning  and  you 
kept  at  it  until  seven  at  night,  when  I  came  to 
dine  with  you. 

"  Sometimes  I  found  your  lunch  untouched,  on 
the  little  table  by  your  side,  where  the  servant  had 
placed  it.  You  had  forgotten  to  eat  it.  Then, 
whilst  we  dined  and  dined  well,  on  the  dishes 
which  you  yourself  had  prepared,  you  recounted 
to  me,  by  way  of  relaxation,  all  that  your  characters 
had  done  during  the  day,  and  rejoiced  in  the 
thought  of  what  they  were  going  to  do,  on  the 
morrow.     This  lasted  for  some  months. 

"  Ah,  those  happy  days  !  We  were  both  of  an 
age :   you  were  forty-two,  and   I   was  twenty  ! " 

Fiorentino  declares  that  Dumas,  being  accustomed 
to   fill    his  twenty  sheets  a  day,   finished   "  Monte 


78  LIFE  AND  AVRITINGS  OF 

Cristo,"  In  his  presence,  on  the  fifteenth  page. 
Not  wishing  to  depart  from  his  rule,  the  romancer 
took  a  fresh  sheet,  wrote  at  the  top  "  Les  Trols 
Mousquetalres,"  and  completed  five  sheets  of  the 
new  story  before  finishing  for  the  day ! 

It  will  be  readily  understood  that  with  his  bo7i- 
hoviie  and  contagious  wit  Dumas's  social  popularity 
was  enormous.  Villemessant,  whose  stories  of 
"the  master"  were  always  amusing  and  sometimes 
trustworthy,  tells  us 

"  When  he  spoke,  the  most  celebrated  guests 
were  silent,  In  order  to  listen  to  him ;  when  he 
entered  a  salon,  the  wit  of  the  men  and  the  beauty 
of  the  women — all  that  makes  for  the  joy  of  life — 
were  eclipsed  by  the  glory  of  this  one  man.  He 
was  really  the  King  of  Paris,  sovereign  by  virtue 
of  intelligence  and  wit — the  only  man  for  a  whole 
century,  who  had  made  himself  adored  by  all  classes 
of  society." 

Janin  relates  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  Duke 
of  Montpensier's  wedding  with  the  Infanta  of  Spain 
a  grand  fete  was  given  at  Madrid.  An  old  diplomat, 
arriving  late,  was  astonished  to  see  there  a  man 
dressed  simply  in  black,  and  a  perfect  stranger,  to 
whom  the  greatest  lords  of  Spain  were  listening 
with  all  their  ears,  forgetting  the  queen  and  the 
royal  bridal  pair  in  their  enjoyment.  He  asked 
who  the  attraction  was. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  79 

^' Pardic2i,''  answered  his  friend,  "that's  Alexandre 
Dumas — who  else  do  you  think  it  would  be  ?  " 

A  certain  Parisian  named  M.  Pitre-Chevalier,  being 
a  sort  of  Lyon-Hunter,  was  (so  Villemessant  declares) 
anxious  to  obtain  the  presence  of  all  the  social  cele- 
brities at  his  salons,  and  made  unheard-of  efforts  to 
secure  the  lion  of  the  hour  for  one  of  his  evenings. 
Dumas  chose  his  salons,  as  he  chose  his  theatre,  or 
the  newspaper  for  his  fetiillctons,  and  when  it  was 
known  in  Paris  "  Dumas  will  be  at  So-and-so's  to- 
night ! "  society  attacked  the  lucky  host's  house  as  if 
it  had  been  the  doors  of  a  theatre,  on  the  nicjht  of  a 
premiere,  all  the  company  stood  up  as  he  entered, 
and  his  journey  towards  his  host  was  a  sort  of 
triumphal  procession.  Pitre-Chevalier  had  his  way; 
but  the  next  day  the  gossips  of  the  boulevards 
talked  of  nothing  but  Dumas's  latest  mot.  Asked 
by  a  friend  whether  he  had  enjoyed  the  evening 
with  ]\I.   Lyon-Hunter,   Dumas  replied, 

"  Well,  I  should  have  been  very  bored,  if  it  hadn't 
been  for — myself!  " 

At  one  of  these  soirees  Dumas  was  wearinof  the 
ribbon  of  a  certain  order,  having  recently  been  made 
a  commandant,  and  an  envious  friend  remarked 
upon  it. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  said,  "  that  cordon  is  a 
wretched  colour !  One  would  think  it  was  your 
woollen  vest  that  was  showine ! " 


80  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"Oh  no,  my  dear  d'E ,"  replied  Dumas  with 

a  smile,  "  you're  mistaken  ;  it's  not  a  bad  colour  :  it 
is  exactly  the  shade  of  the  sour  grapes  in  the  fable." 

Gozlan  one  day  asked  Dumas  why  a  certain  bete 
noir  of  his  had  received  the  Legion  of  Honour. 

"Don't  you  know?"  answered  the  author,  look- 
ing wise,  and  as  if  he  had  some  State  secret  to 
reveal. 

"  Certainly  I  don't  know — you  don't  know  either ! " 

"  Ah,  but  I  do,  though  ! " 

"  Then,— tell  me ! " 

"  They've  given  him  a  cross — because — he  hadn't 
one! 

This  is  as  severe  as  Mark  Twain's  comment  that 
"few  escape  that  distinction." 

Writing  furiously  at  his  romances,  our  author 
exiled  himself  from  society  as  much  as  possible,  and 
for  that  purpose  retired  to  some  rented  rooms  in  the 
"  Henry  IV."  pavilion  at  St  Germain ;  but  even 
there  he  was  constantly  disturbed  by  friends,  para- 
sites and  duns,  and  in  despair  found  it  necessary  to 
move  further  afield.  Driven  from  St  Germain,  he 
discovered  between  that  town  and  Marly  a  site  which 
seemed  to  him  to  be  an  ideal  one  for  a  quiet,  unpre- 
tentious house,  which  should  be  his  own — he  was 
tired  of  living  in  other  peoples'  houses.  He  arranged 
with  an  architect  for  a  two-  or  three-roomed  cottage, 
where  he  could  work  in  peace.      But  as  he  discussed 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  81 

the  plans,  the  love  of  splendour  with  which  his 
African  descent  had  cursed  or  blessed  him,  came 
uppermost,  and  at  the  tempting  suggestions  of  others 
his  ideas  expanded  at  such  a  pace  that  from  a  few 
hundred  francs,  Dumas  found  himself  paying — or 
owing  —  tens  of  thousands.  In  July  he  gave  a 
breakfast  on  the  site  of  the  future  palace,  inviting 
his  guests  to  meet  him  there,  three  years  later,  to 
see  his  new  home.  As  Mr  Fitzgerald  says,  "this 
was  like  one  of  the  dramatic  appointments  given  in 
'  Monte  Cristo.' " 

From  this  period  in  particular,  dated  that  system 
of  collaboration  which  lasted  for  some  years,  and  of 
which  so  much  too  much  has  been  made.  The 
editors  who  urged  this  ardent,  insoiiciant  worker 
to  undertake  twice  or  three  times  as  much  as  any 
ordinary  mortal  could  produce,  were  the  first  to 
attack  him,  either  for  non-fulfilment  of  contract,  or 
for  his  "  workshop  "  methods,  as  they  were  pleased 
to  call  them. 

Inevitably  Dumas,  in  the  full  blaze  of  success,  was 
the  butt  of  the  envious,  for  envy  is  the  shadow 
thrown  by  the  sun  of  fame.  A  young  gentleman  of 
the  name  of  Jacquot  (who,  like  a  kitchen-rogue, 
dubbed  himself  "  Eugene  de  Mirecourt "),  choosing 
to  consider  himself  offended  by  the  great  man, 
brought  before  the  "  Societe  des  Gens  de  Lettres,"  a 
resolution  levelled  at  our  author  (during  his  absence), 


82  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

condemning  him  for  keeping  "  a  literary  factory "  ; 
for  "  setting  up  as  a  C07yphde  of  shame "  ;  and  for 
"laying  his  hand  on  Reputation,  that  white-winged 
maiden,  dragging  her  through  the  mire,  and  violat- 
ing her  before  the  public  gaze,"  with  much  more 
to  the  same  effect.  Unfortunately  Dumas  himself, 
calling  in  unexpectedly,  interrupted  the  back-biting 
process  ;  and  when  he  left,  after  a  fierce  encounter 
with  his  circle  of  enemies,  they  passed  a  mild,  emas- 
culated resolution  which,  coming  from  so  unimportant 
a  body,  had  little  effect. 

Theodore  de  Banville,  in  his  "  Odes  Funambu- 
lesques,"  has  some  amusing  but  quite  untranslatable 
verse  on  this  episode.  Dumas  is  passing  by,  when 
a  "  mirecourt "  darts  out  of  the  crowd,  and  abuses 
the  great  man  in  the  foulest  manner.  After  the 
thing  has  exhausted  its  bag  of  spleen,  Dumas 
replies. 

Docile  au  mirecourt,  il  lui  laissa  tout  dire, 
Pencha  son  front  reveur  .  .  .  puis,  avec  un  sourire, 
Fit  :  '  As-tu  dcjeune,  Jacquot  ? '  ^ 

Thwarted  thus,  Jacquot  published  his  venomous 
pamphlet,  "  Maison  Dumas  et  Cie,"  by  which  he 
got  little  credit  or  profit.  There  was  a  hall-truth 
in  this  lie,  and  if  it  had  been  told  with  moderation 
and   in   a   friendly   and   appreciative   way,    it  might 

1  Dumas  politely  allowed  the  mireco'nt  to  say  its  say;  then  inclined 
his  thoughtful  brow  towards  the  crc;..are  and  aslvcd  wuh  a  sunle, 
"  Hast  thou  lunched  to-day,  Jacquot?" 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  83 

have  had  a  salutary  effect.  As  it  was,  both  the 
squib  and  the  motive  for  it  were  ahke  contemptible. 
One  of  the  "workmen"  attacked  challenged  the 
slanderer,  who,  at  the  instance  of  Dumas,  was 
sentenced  to  fifteen  days'  imprisonment.  Dumas 
fits  took  up  his  father's  cause,  and  challenged  Jac- 
quot  also ;  but  that  gentleman,  with  characteristic 
cowardice,  shirked  the  encounter.  Yet  this  con- 
tractor for  the  gutter  press  of  Paris  had  not  written 
in  vain  ;  for  most  subsequent  biographies  of  Dumas, 
whether  in  English  or  in  French,  seem  to  have 
been  founded  on  Jacquot's  statements,  and  to  be 
actuated  by  his  spirit. 

In  1S46  the  Duke  of  Montpensier,  younger 
brother  of  the  ill-fated  Orleans,  was  betrothed  by 
Louis  Philippe  to  the  Infanta  of  Spain,  and  set  out 
for  Madrid,  for  the  wedding.  The  French  Govern- 
ment invited  Dumas  to  accompany  the  prince  and 
act  as  official  histriographer  on  this  important 
occasion.  Further,  he  was  instructed  to  go  forward 
to  Algiers,  and,  in  his  gay,  informative  and  incisive 
way,  to  "  teach  "  France  all  about  its  new  colony. 
A  friendship  had  sprung  up  between  the  young 
Duke  and  Dumas,  and  the  arrangement  was  a 
pleasant  one  for  all  parties.  The  writer,  his  vanity 
flattered  by  the  commission,  accepted,  although  at 
the  very  shortest  notice,  and  without  for  a  moment 
considering  the  consequences  to  himself. 


84  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

The  Royal  party  arrived  at  Madrid  in  October ; 
the  wedding  duly  took  place,  and  Dumas  received 
the  cordon  of  Charles  III.  on  the  occasion  of  the 
auspicious  ceremony.  In  due  course  he  visited 
Tangiers,  in  the  State  vessel  Le  Vdloce,  called  at 
Gibraltar,  crossed  again  to  Tetuan,  and  took  an 
honourable  share  in  the  delivery  of  some  French- 
men, captured  by  the  Moors.  Although  he  did  not 
make  a  long  stay  at  Algiers  —  where  Marshal 
Bugeaud  failed  to  meet  him  as  arranged — Dumas 
sailed  on  to  Tunis  and  the  site  of  ancient  Carthage, 
and  duly  embodied  his  adventures  in  two  series  of 
"Impressions"  — "  De  Paris  a  Cadix,"  and  "  Le 
Veloce." 

All' this  was  wormwood  to  Dumas's  enemies  In 
Paris,  and  they  were  numerous  and  Influential. 
On  his  return  his  travels  were  made  the  subject 
of  a  savage  attack  on  the  Government  and  their 
envoy,  in  the  press,  and  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
Now,  although  M.  Salvandy  had  expressly  charged 
Dumas  with  the  mission  to  Algiers,  and  although 
M.  Guizot,  the  Foreign  Minister,  had  given  the 
author  special  Instructions,  as  well  as  a  passport, 
placing  him  under  national  protection,  the  mInIster«L 
made  a  discreditable  attempt  to  explain  away  their 
connection  with  "  ce  monsieur,"  as  he  was  Insolently 
called,  and  to  pacify  their  enemies  at  the  expense 
of  Dumas's  reputation.      It  Is  pleasant,  by  way  of 


ALEXANDRE  DUiMAS  85 

contrast,  to  read  Madame  de  Girardin's  warm  and 
generous  defence  of  our  author,  and  her  scorn  of  the 
"gentlemen"  who  had  insuked  the  man  of  genius. 
For,  when  Dumas  and  Maquet  sent  challenges  to 
the  depuiies  who  had  abused  them,  those  gentlemen 
sheltered  themselves  behind  their  public  position 
and  would  not  "  come  out  and  fight." 

The  following  )ear  was  a  busy  one  for  the 
returned  "envoy,"  for  no  less  than  seven  news- 
papers combined  to  sue  him  for  arrears  of  work  due. 
One  in  particular  had  a  genuine  grievance  ;  for  the 
impulsive  writer,  in  order  to  follow  the  fortunes 
of  the  young  IVIontpensier,  had  left  what  is  known 
in  English  as  "The  Memoirs  of  a  Physician"  in 
a  state  of  startling  incompleteness.  The  trial  was 
an  amusing  one,  for  the  culprit  conducted  his  own 
defence,  and  proved  himself  as  vivacious  in  dialogue 
with  his  tongue  as  with  his  pen.  After  three  days' 
hearinof  the  court  ordered  the  defendant  to  resume 
the  "  Memoirs  "  within  a  month,  and  pay  ^4  a  day 
for  any  delay  beyond  that  time.  He  was  threatened 
with  imprisonment  if  the  arrears  of  fines  became 
too  great ;  and  in  addition  was  fined  ^120  for  each 
of  the  seven  journals.  Needless  to  say,  nothing 
more  was  heard  of  the  fines,  and  the  whole  affair 
was  naturally  a  splendid  testimony  to  the  author's 
popularity. 

Dumas   the  playwright  had  for  some  time  been 


86  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

embroiled  with  the  theatres,  and  in  particular  with 
the  Comedie  Fran^aise — he  gives  an  amusing 
account  of  his  "  Odyssey "  at  the  Fran9aise  in  the 
"Souvenirs  Dramatiques"; — and  now  that  fame  and 
fortune  had  come  to  him  he  determined,  with  his 
usual  magnificence  of  ideas,  to  have  not  only  his 
own  chateau,  but  also  his  own  theatre,  where  no 
jealousies  should  come  between  his  genius  and  the 
success  of  his  plays.  The  young  Duke  of  Mont- 
pensier  secured  for  the  dramatist  a  patent  for  the 
new  theatre,  which  was  to  be  called  the  "  Theatre 
Montpensier " ;  the  Hotel  Foulon,  on  the  Boule- 
vard du  Temple,  was  bought  and  pulled  down,  and 
in  its  place  the  new  theatre  rose — a  splendid  build- 
ing costing  over  ;^30,ooo,  decorated  most  artistically 
and  dedicated  by  its  founder  to  the  dramatic  art  of 
Europe.  Unfortunately  for  Dumas,  the  Duke — at 
the  instance  of  his  father,  Louis  Philippe,  it  is  said 
—withdrew  this  permission  for  the  use  of  his  name, 
and  accordingly  the  new  playhouse  was  christened 
the  "  Historique."  On  the  21st  of  February  1847 
the  first  performance  was  given ;  the  duke  and  his 
suite  being  present.  The  play  chosen  was  a 
dramatised  version  of  "  La  Reine   Margot." 

There  is  an  anecdote  told  in  this  connection,  which 
is  truly  illustrative  of  the  characters  of  prince  and 
author  respectively.  When,  after  the  Revolution  of 
'48,  the  Duke  went  into  exile,  his  box  was  religiously 


THK     ''L'HKAIKK   H  1S1(  )Kl(.>ri;,"'  JSoUi.KVAKl)   DK  TKMPI.K^    I'AIUS. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  87 

kept  vacant  for  him  for  a  whole  year,  although  he 
had  long-  since  ceased  to  pay  for  it.  Dumas  learnt 
later  that  the  Duke,  when  he  received  his  tickets, 
was  wont  to  burst  out  laughing  at  the  quixotic 
manager's  "  buffoonery  "  ;  and  the  proprietor  then 
decided  that  the  box  should  be  devoted  to  public 
use  in  future,  remarking  that  the  yearly  rent  of  a 
box  was  too  high  a  price  to  pay  for  the  privilege 
of  making  a  prince  laugh. 

In  July  of  this  year  Dumas,  according  to  his 
pledge,  gave  a  magnificent  reception  to  six  hundred 
guests,  as  a  house-warming  for  his  new  palace  of 
"  Monte  Cristo."  The  scheme  had  rapidly  out- 
grown the  first  modest  plan,  and  had  been 
developed  on  the  most  lavish  scale.  "  A  beauti- 
ful building,  half-chateau,  half-villa,  had  risen  in 
the  meantime,"  says  Fitzgerald,  "  embowered  in 
trees,  and  in  the  centre  of  a  wild  garden.  Its 
white  stone  walls  were  covered  with  exquisite 
traceries  and  sculptures  copied  from  those  of  Jean 
Goujon  at  the  Louvre,  and  executed  by  Choistat, 
conspicuous  in  the  centre  being  Dumas's  arms, 
with  the  motto  'Jaime  qui  in'aime.'  Inside,  the 
walls  were  decorated  from  designs  by  Klagmann  ; 
while  the  '  Arabian  chamber,'  after  the  pattern 
of  the  Alhambra,  was  a  marvel  of  Eastern  gorge- 
ousness  and  decoration.  The  gardens  were  charm- 
ing, all  leafy  and   shaded.      On  the  little  island  in 


88  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  lake  rose  an  exquisite  little  Norman  building, 
intended  as  a  sort  of  kiosk,  covered  with  exquisite 
carvings,  the  designs  being  by  Mansson,  a  decora- 
tor of  great  eminence.  Blended  with  the  sound 
of  falline  waters — for  an  artificial  torrent  had  been 
contrived,  that  tumbled  over  rocks  as  artificially 
arranged — was  heard  the  chattering  of  monkeys, 
and  the  screaming  of  parrots,  while  huge  barbaric 
dogs  of  strange  shapes  and  colour  ranged  through 
the  groves.  Such  was  *  Monte  Cristo,'  which  was 
now  the  talk  of  Paris." 

Here  Dumas's  hospitality  was  princely,  unlimited. 
"At  his  Abbotsford  'Monte  Cristo,'"  Mr  Lang 
reminds  us,  "the  gates  were  open  to  everybody 
but  bailiffs.  His  dog  asked  other  dogs  to  come 
and  stay ;  twelve  came,  making  thirteen  in  all.  The 
old  butler  wanted  to  turn  them  adrift,  and  Dumas 
consented  and  repented. 

"'Michel,'  he  said,  'there  are  some  expenses 
which  a  man's  social  position  and  the  character 
which  he  has  had  the  ill-luck  to  receive  from 
heaven  force  upon  him.  I  don't  believe  these 
dogs  ruin  me.  Let  them  bide.  But,  in  the 
interests  of  their  own  good  luck,  see  that  they 
are  not  thirteen,  an  unfortunate  number!* 

"'Monsieur,   I'll  drive  one  of  them  away.' 

"'No,  no,  Michel;  let  a  fourteenth  come.  .  .  . 
These    dogs    cost    me    some    ^3    a    month,'    said 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  89 

Dumas.  '  A  dinner  to  five  or  six  friends  would  cost 
thrice  as  much,  and,  when  they  went  home,  they 
would  say  my  wine  was  good,  but  certainly  that 
my  books  were  bad.' " 

The  owner  himself  retired  to  the  pavilion  to 
work,  whilst  his  parasites  enjoyed  the  unbounded 
hospitality  of  the  establishment,  and  roamed  at  will 
throughout  the  splendid  mansion.  It  will  readily 
be  understood  that  under  the  irresistible  influence 
of  this  man,  St  Germain  became  a  new  place ;  it 
was  filled  with  life  and  gaiety.  Dumas  rented 
the  local  theatre,  hired  a  company  of  actors,  and 
produced  the  translation  of  "  Hamlet,"  for  which 
]\Ieurice  and  himself  were  responsible.  Indeed, 
so  transformed  was  this  suburb  of  Paris,  that 
Louis  Philippe,  we  are  told,  wondered  at  the 
change ;  and  wished  the  same  process  to  be  applied 
to  Versailles,  which  was  certainly  dull  enough. 
However,  when  it  was  suggested  to  him  by 
Montalivet  that  Dumas  should  be  brought  to 
Versailles,  the  king  turned  his  back  on  the  mala- 
droit courtier ! 

In  1847  the  "reform  agitation"  broke  out  in 
France,  and  ended  the  following  February  in  the 
downfall  of  the  house  of  Orleans.^     Louis  Philippe 

*  Dumas  is  silent  concerning  this  Revolution,  and  Vandam  tells  us 
that  he  never  would  discuss  it.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  author  of 
"An  Englishman  in  Paris"  that  the  romancer  was  a  trifle  ashamed  of 
the  Republican  intriguers  of  that  time. 


90  LIFE  AND  AVIUTINGS  OF 

fled  to  England ;  and  Louis  Napoleon  became 
President  of  the  French  Republic,  making  him- 
self Emperor,  in  185 1,  by  means  of  the  infamous 
coup  dUtat.  And  from  this  epoch  onward,  the 
meteoric  brilliance  of  Dumas's  star  be^an  to  fade. 

Several  causes  contributed  to  this  sudden  and 
overwhelming  change  of  fortune.  Our  author  was, 
as  Ferry  says,  a  man  of  independence  of  character 
and  opinion,  "  and  this  opinion  manifested  itself 
in  an  originality  as  rare  as  it  was  disinterested. 
When  Dumas  had  known  a  prince  in  private  life, 
or  in  exile,  he  broke  with  him  as  soon  as  he 
became  King  or  Emperor," — as  in  the  cases  of 
Louis  Philippe  and  Napoleon  III.  "Misfortune 
and  exile  found  Dumas  friendly  and  respectful  ; 
triumph  rendered  him  prudent,  even  antagonistic." 
Thus,  when  he  joined  with  his  brother  "liberals'' 
in  commencing  the  agitation  of  1847,  he  acted 
with  a  difference.  He  founded  a  journal  i^Le 
Hlois)  in  order  to  give  publicity  to  his  political 
views ;  and  he  protested  indignantly  against  the 
destruction  of  the  statue  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans 
(Louis  Philippe's  son)  as  a  wanton  and  disgrace- 
ful act.  He  went  further,  and  dedicated  one  of 
his  books  to  the  exiled  young  Montpensier ;  and 
by  the  time  that  the  elections  came  on,  Dumas 
had  achieved  the  reputation  of  being  an  Orleanist ! 

Still,    he    decided    to    offer    himself    as    a    candi- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  91 

date  for  the  Chamber  of  Deputies — not  for  his 
native  department  of  the  Aisnc,  where,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Soissons  exploit,  he  was  considered 
an  extreme  "red";  nor  for  St  Germain,  because 
in  the  revolutionary  days  of  February  he  had  lost 
his  command  of  the  national  guard  there,  by 
suggesting  that  he  should  lead  his  750  comrades 
to  Paris,  a  la  Marseillaise,  to  the  help  of  the 
people.  It  was  suggested  to  him  that  the  de- 
partment of  Yonne  would  be  sure  to  acclaim  him, 
and  accordingly  he  went  off  to  Lower  Burgundy. 
When  it  was  too  late  Dumas  discovered  that  his 
chances  in  this  district  were  fatally  compromised 
because  of  his  "  Royalist  sympathies " !  He  was 
mobbed,  and  fired  at  in  the  street.  In  vain  he 
harangued  a  hostile  crowd  of  three  thousand 
Yonnais,  and  converted  them  into  ardent  sup- 
porters ;  he  was  not  elected  —  perhaps  because 
he  had  prophesied  Prussia's  conquest  of  France, 
twenty-two  years  later  —  although  in  his  chant 
"  Mourir  pour  la  Patrie,"  which  Dumas  had  in- 
troduced into  his  play  of  "  Le  Chevalier  de 
Maison  Rouge,"  he  had  given  the  Paris  mob  its 
"  Marseillaise."  (He  had  previously  refused  to 
write  a  "national  anthem"  to  suit  the  Govern- 
ment.) Dumas  was  destined  never  to  achieve  a 
place  in  French  politics,  however  ardently  he 
desired  it. 


92  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

In  M.  Blaze  de  Bury's  study  of  our  author  there 
is  a  witty  account,  which  we  wish  we  could  repro- 
duce in  full,  of  a  visit  to  Joigny  paid  by  the  writer, 
a  certain  M.  du  Chaffault,  with  Dumas,  during  the 
novelist's  electoral  campaign. 

Du  Chaffault,  who  lived  at  Sens,  was  awakened 
one  morning,  he  tells  us,  to  find  a  "  horrible  big 
devil "  standing  by  his  bedside.  The  apparition 
laughingly  introduced  himself  as  Alexandre  Dumas, 
who  had  heard  that  this  young  man  was  "  a  good 
fellow,"  and  would  be  of  use  to  him  It  Joigny. 
Whilst  the  host  hurriedly  and  bewilderedly  dressed 
himself,  Dumas  changed  his  worn  boots  for  a  new 
pair  of  his  young  friend's,  and,  adds  the  narrator, 
"  those  he  left  are  now  in  my  library.  I  show 
them  to  visitors  as  the  thousand-and-first  volume  of 
Alexandre  Dumas."  By  the  time  they  had  started 
for  Joigny  the  pair  were  like  old  friends,  and 
Dumas's  chat  en  route  made  the  time  fly  wonder- 
fully. At  the  second  stage  the  candidate  borrowed 
twenty  francs  from  his  new  acquaintance,  for  the 
postillion,  and  the  ingenuous  young  Du  Chaffault 
duly  entered  in  his  note-book,  "Alexandre  Dumas, 
twenty  francs."  The  same  thing  occurred  at  Joigny, 
where  everyone  came  to  the  young  man  for  money ; 
and  as  Dumas  invited  everyone  who  accosted  him 
to  dine  with  them  that  evening,  the  six  hundred 
francs   which    Du    Chaffault    had    taken    with    him 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  93 

were  gone  by  the  following  morning-.  "  I  returned 
to  Sens,"  he  says,  "  my  heart  full  of  joy  at  having 
seen  and  heard  a  man  of  genius.  I  still  preserve 
the  accounts  I  paid,  which  recall  to  me  my  two  days 
passed  in  fairyland  with  *  Monte  Cristo.'  I  regret 
only  one  thing — that  I  had  not  had  the  good  sense 
to  put  ten  thousand  francs  into  my  pocket,  so  that 
I  might  have  prolonged  this  incomparable  experi- 
ence for  a  \veek  or  two." 

Of  course  this  political  failure  brought  social 
consequences,  but  worse  remained  behind.  The 
papers,  being  filled  with  public  affairs,  required  no 
more  fciiillctons,  and  the  "  Theatre  Historique," 
which  at  first  had  succeeded,  did  terribly  bad  busi- 
ness, and  eventually  closed  its  doors.  It  was  after- 
wards pulled  down  to  make  room  for  one  of  the 
boulevards  of  the  Second  Empire.  Meanwhile 
"  Monte  Cristo  "  required  an  enormous  income  to 
maintain  it,  and  it  will  easily  be  understood  that 
this  literary  "  cigale,"  who  had  saved  no  store  for 
the  winter  of  misfortune,  soon  came  to  grief.  He 
was  obliged  in  the  end  to  abandon  the  scarcely- 
finished  palace  and  the  newly-opened  theatre  to 
his  creditors.  It  was  a  cruel  blow  to  the  great 
man's  hopes  and  vanities ;  but  he  bore  it  well. 
He  had  reigned,  like  his  old  employer  Louis 
Philippe,  from  revolution  to  revolution. 


94  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Wanderings,  Decline  and  Death  (1848-1870). 

Dumas  had  not  given  way  without  a  struggle. 
He  had  produced  "  Monte  Cristo  "  at  his  ill-fated 
theatre,  and  tried  the  extraordinary  experiment  of 
playing  it,  half  one  night  and  the  other  half  the 
next ;  and  he  had  mortgaged  his  "  palace  "  heavily. 
In  1849,  ^t  ^^^^  Historique,  he  brought  out  his 
play  of  "  Comte  Hermann,"  the  tone  of  which  is 
in  striking  contrast  with  that  of  "Antony"  and 
"  Richard  Darlington  ;  "  and  its  preface  contains 
a  sincere  disavowal  of  the  "  criminal-passionate  " 
themes  of  "twenty  years  before."  In  the  same 
year  Dumas  attended  the  wedding  of  the  Prince 
of  Oranofeat  Amsterdam  ;  and  was  also  summoned 
to  a  council  of  state,  composed  of  playwrights  and 
others,  seven  in  all,  to  consider  the  question  of  the 
censorship.  Unhappily,  nothing  came  of  the  dis- 
cussion. It  was  probably  owing  to  his  increasing 
embarrassments  that  when  poor  Marie  Dorval  died, 
during  this  year,  her  old  friend  was  able  to  do 
little  more  than  struorgfle  to  collect  from  others 
the  necessary  funds  to  bury  her  decently. 

In  1 85 1,  as  we  have  already  said,  the  Republic 
fell,  and  buried  Dumas's  future  in  the  ruins.  He  fled 
to  Brussels,  whither  Hugo  had  already  gone,  and 
there,  from  December   1851   to   January  1853,  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  95 

novelist  lived  and  worked,  quietly  but  pleasantly, 
at  No.  'J2),  Rue  de  Waterloo.  Almost  every  even- 
ing- he  was  visited  by  a  few  old  friends,  of  whom, 
of  course,  Hugo  was  the  chief,  and  some  of  them 
would  stay  until  two  or  three  in  the  morning,  sitting 
round  the  tea-table,  chatting  and  laughing,  w^hilst 
the  host  worked  on  above-stairs,  now  and  then 
descending  to  exchange  a  word  or  two  with  his 
company.  Here  he  turned  out  fifty  volumes,  for 
which,  as  he  remarks,  his  enemies  would  have  a 
task  to  find  him  the  "anonymous  collaborators" 
of  whom  they  made  so  much. 

At  times,  however,  the  ex-proprietor  of  '  Monte 
Cristo  '  would  indulge  in  an  evening's  gaiety.  One 
such  gorgeous  supper-party  is  described  by  Emile 
Deschanel  in  his  volume  of  travels,  "  A  Pied  et  en 
Wasron."  From  eleven  till  dawn  the  ofuests  revelled 
in  a  never-ceasing  series  of  delights  and  surprises, 
plays  acted  on  a  lilliputian  stage  by  celebrated  per- 
formers, Spanish  singers  and  dancers,  the  gayest 
and  most  brilliant  conversation — all  in  beautifully 
decorated  salons,  hung  with  the  armorial  escut- 
cheons of  Chateaubriand,  Lamartine,  Hugo,  Nodier 
and  Dumas  himself.  Such  experiences  always 
proved  precious  memories  to  those  favoured  ones 
who  enjoyed  them. 

Misfortunes  indeed,  did  not  come  singly  to  Dumas. 
His  faithful  Maquet  had  left  him  in  185 1.      Charles 


9C  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Reade's  account  of  this  rupture  is  probably  the 
most  truthful,  as  it  is  the  most  charitable  : — 

"  Dumas,  if  I  understand  rightly,  used  to  treat 
with  the  publishers  and  managers,  and  settle  with 
his  collaborator.  Dumas  fell  into  arrears  with  him, 
arrears  which,  if  his  heart  alone  had  been  to  be 
consulted,  would  have  been  paid  to  the  centime  ; 
but  unfortunately  he  had  other  creditors,  who  in- 
terposed with  legal  powers.  In  short,  the  situation 
was  so  desperate  that  Maquet  had  no  course  open 
to  him  but  to  withdraw  from  the  connection  ;  he  did 
so,  leaving  130,000  francs  behind  him — say  ^5,200." 

In  1856-8  Maquet  brought  an  action  against 
Dumas,  but  although  his  share  of  the  authorship 
of  several  of  the  most  famous  romances  was 
declared,  the  court  awarded  him  no  further  funds — ■ 
a  significant  fact. 

In  1853  the  exile  wearied  to  see  his  beloved 
Paris  again,  and  as  public  affairs  had  quieted 
down,  and  as  no  doubt  pressing  invitations  were 
issued  by  his  friends,  Dumas  returned  to  Paris 
full  of  a  new  enthusiasm.  At  the  establishment 
of  the  "  Maison  D'Or,"  in  the  Rue  Lafitte,  rooms 
were  allotted  to  the  great  man,  and  a  paper 
was  issued  under  his  editorship.  This  was  the 
Moiisquetairc,  which  started  with  the  most  brilliant 
prospects.  The  circulation  throve  exceedingly  :  the 
master  slaved    at    his    desk ;    and    his    name,    and 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  97 

his  kindly  treatment  of  the  young  and  aspiring, 
brought  a  group  of  clever  young  writers  about 
him.  But  the  paper  was  never  managed  on  business 
principles,  Dumas  himself  being  the  chief  sinner  in 
this  respect ;  all  was  goodwill,  confusion,  gaiety  and 
improvidence.  The  "  staff  "  were  innumerable  ;  and 
the  noise  of  the  many  journalists  crowded  into  the 
little  rooms  of  the  "  Maison  D'Or"  was  alarming. 
Audebrand  tells  us  that  the  neighbour  on  one  side 
would  cry  to  his  valet,  "  They  must  be  strangling 
some  one  next  door  !  "  and  the  neighbour  on  the 
other  side  would  overhear  the  remark,  and  laugh- 
ingly reply,  "  There  must  be  a  woman  in  labour  in 
the  house  !  " 

In  the  same  volume  are  some  amusing  stories  of 
the  great  man's  menage — how  he  had  a  triple 
defence  in  the  shape  of  three  servants,  who 
struggled  to  keep  duns  and  beggars  from  their 
master's  presence.  A  certain  German,  however, 
called  one  day,  sat  down  on  the  step  and  would 
not  leave  ;  and  Dumas  was  eventually  aroused 
by  the  perpetual  assaults  on  the  door.  It  ended 
as  it  always  did;  the  man  was  "starving"  and 
would  throv.'  himself  into  the  Seine  if  M.  Dumas 
did  not  take  pity  on  him.  The  great  man  pushed 
fifty  francs  into  the  beggar's  hands — and  found 
himself  with  only  two  francs  with  which  to  buy 
eggs  for  the  omelette  for  his  dinner ! 


98  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Whilst  the  journahst  worked,  the  dramatist  was 
not  idle.  No  less  than  four  pieces  were  produced  in 
1854, — "  Romulus,"  a  one-act  play,  at  the  Comedie 
Fran^aise  ;  "  La  Jeunessede  Louis  XIV.,"  a  comedy, 
full  of  Moliere  and  Louis's  first  love  Marie  de 
Mancini  (played  at  Brussels)  ;  "  Le  Marbrier,"  a 
powerful  play  (at  the  Vaudeville),  and  "  Conscience," 
at  the  Odeon.  Of  the  two  dramas,  highly  moral, 
not  to  say  didactic,  in  tone,  the  latter  was  dedicated 
to  Hugo.  It  was  a  daring  act,  but  Dumas  was 
as  imprudent  in  this  friendship  as  in  all  others. 

To  M.  Blaze  de  Bury  we  are  indebted  for  a  vivid 
sketch  of  "  Dumas  chez  hii"  about  this  time,  which 
he  compares  with  the  mournful  home  of  Heine 
who  was  then  also  living  in  Paris  : — 

"You  passed,"  he  writes,  "from  the  shades  of 
death  to  the  brilliant  light  of  day  ;  to  loud  voices 
and  all  the  stir  and  bustle  of  a  manufactory  !  The 
air  was  filled  with  voices  in  debate  ;  you  trampled 
upon  bon  mots,  in  the  progress  of  your  conversa- 
tion. Then,  in  the  brief  intervals  of  silence,  3^ou 
heard  a  pen  quietly,  lightly,  scratch  the  paper  :  it  was 
Dumas,  seated  at  his  daily  work.  Without  pausing 
in  his  writing,  he  held  out  his  left  hand  to  you 
with  a  smile.  No  tumult  disturbed  him  ;  and  a 
word  thrown  into  the  discourse  here  and  there 
told  you  that  he  was  taking  part  in  it." 

"  Twenty  times  interrupted  in  one  morning,"  adds 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  99 

Villemessant,  "  twenty  times  he  took  up  his  work 
just  where  he  had  left  it,  to  chat  with  a  journahst, 
an  actress  or  a  director  ;  he  set  aside  a  romance, 
to  settle  with  a  collaborator  concerning- the  scenario 
of  another  book  ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  collaborator 
had  gone,  Dumas  went  back  to  his  narrative,  of 
which  he  had  never  for  an  instant  lost  the  thread." 

Abraham  Hayward  has  quoted  for  us  an  account 
of  Dumas's  day's  work,  with  less  rhetoric  but 
more  detail.  "  He  rises  at  six ;  before  him  are 
laid  thirty-five  sheets  of  paper  of  the  largest  size  ; 
he  takes  up  his  pen,  and  writes,  in  a  hand  that 
M.  de  Saint  Omer  would  envy,  till  eleven.  At 
eleven  he  breakfasts,  always  in  company  ;  and  during 
this  meal  his  spirits  never  flag.  At  twelve  he  re- 
sumes the  pe-n,  not  to  quit  it  again  until  six  in  the 
evening.  The  dinner-hour  finds  him  as  lively  as 
at  breakfast.  If  by  any  chance  he  has  not  filled 
the  allotted  number  of  sheets  a  momentary  shade 
passes  over  his  face  :  he  steals  away  and  returns 
two  or  three  hours  later,  to  enjoy  the  pleasures 
of  the  evening." 

When  the  Queen  visited  Paris,  in  1855,  the  actors 
of  the  Comedie  Fran^aise  gave  a  performance  of  the 
"  Demoiselles  de  St  Cyr  "  at  Her  Majesty's  request, 
for  she  had  seen  the  piece  in  London,  and  had  been 
so  pleased  with  it  that  she  wished  to  see  it  again. 

"  Two  or  three  days  after  the  performance  at  St 


100  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Cloud,"  says  Vandam,  "  I  ran  against  Dumas  in  the 
Chaussee  d'Antin. 

"  *  Well,  you  ought  to  be  pleased,*  I  said ;  '  it 
appears  that  not  only  has  the  Queen  asked  to  see 
your  piece,  which  she  has  already  seen  in  London, 
but  that  she  enjoyed  it  even  better  the  second  time 
than  the  first,' 

"  '  Yes,  it  is  like  its  author,'  he  replied  ;  '  the  more 
one  knows  him  the  more  one  loves  him.  But  I 
know  what  would  have  amused  her  still  more  than 
seeing  my  play — to  see  me  also  !  Honestly,  it 
would  have  amused  me  too  ! ' 

"  '  Then  why  did  you  not  ask  for  an  audience  ? 
I  am  certain  it  would  have  been  granted,'  I  re- 
marked, because  I  felt  convinced  that  Her  Majesty 
would  have  been  only  too  pleased  .to  confer  an 
honour  upon  such  a  man. 

"'Well,  I  did  think  of  it,'  came  the  reply;  *a 
woman  as  remarkable  as  she  is,  who  will  probably 
remain  the  first  woman  of  the  century,  ought  to 
have  met  the  greatest  man  in  France  !  It  is  a  pity, 
for  she  will  go  away  without  having  seen  the 
best  sight  in  France — Alexandre,  King  of  the 
world  of  Romance — Dumas  the  Ignorant ! '  ^  Then 
he  roared  with  laughter,  and  went  away." 

^  Dumas  the  professor  of  chemistry  was  called  "  Dumas  le  savant." 
''  Done,"  laughed  the  novelist,  "  Je  suis  Dumas  rignorant." — Note  by 
A.  V. 


ALEXAIVDRE  DUMAS  101 

The  romancer  was  still  full  of  energy,  physical  and 
mental.  M.  About,  in  his  oration  at  the  unveiling- 
of  the  Dumas  statue  in  1883,  told  an  anecdote  illus- 
trative of  this,  which  we  give  in  Mr   Lang's  words  : 

"  He  met  the  great  man  at  Marseilles.  Dumas 
picked  up  M.  About,  literally  lifted  him  in  his  em- 
brace, and  carried  him  off  to  see  a  play  which  he 
had  written  in  three  days.  The  play  was  a  success  ; 
the  supper  was  prolonged  till  three  in  the  morning. 
M.  About  was  almost  asleep  as  he  walked  home, 
but  Dumas  was  as  fresh  as  if  he  had  just  got  out  of 
bed. 

"*Go  to  sleep,  old  man,'  he  said.  'I,  who  am 
only  fifty-five,  have  \\\x^&  feuilletons  to  write,  which 
must  be  posted  to-morrow.  If  I  have  time  I  shall 
knock  up  a  little  piece  for  Montigny — the  idea  is 
running  in  my  head.'  So  next  morning  M.  About 
saw  the  \\\xq.q.  feuilletons  made  up  for  the  post,  and 
another  packet  addressed  to  M.  Montigny  :  it  was 
the  play  '  L' Invitation  a  la  Valse,'  a  chef-d'oeuvre  !  "^ 

The  Alousqueiaire di&d  in  1857,  but  Dumas  at  once 
started  another  journal  on  the  same  lines,  called 
Mofite  Crista.  This  year  he  crossed  the  Channel 
with  his  son,  and  he  has  given  us,  in  his  "  Causeries," 
an  account  of  his  brief  visit  chez  nous. 

The  pair  crossed  from  Calais  to  Dover  one  Mon- 

1  Dumas  himself  states  that  he  wrote  this  play  in  London  in  1S33 
(see  "  Causeries  "). 


102  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

day  night  towards  the  close  of  May.  On  the  Tues- 
day Dumas  />ere  visited  Madame  Tussaud''s  (he  was 
curious  to  see  the  guillotine  of  Louis  XVI.  about 
which  he  had  written  so  much),  and  spent  an  hour  or 
so  in  Hyde  Park.  Then  the  party  took  a  trip  down 
the  river  to  Blackwall,  dined  there,  and  returned  to 
witness  the  illuminations  in  honour  of  the  Queen's 
birthday,  and  to  see  that  fascinating  but  saddening 
sight,  the  Haymarket  at  midnight.  Next  day  the 
party  drove  down  to  Epsom  to  witness  Blinkbonny's 
Derby.  During  Thursday  and  Friday  Dumas  at- 
tended Gordon-Cumming's  panoramic  lecture  on  his 
hunting  adventures  in  South  Africa,  and  had  a  chat 
with  that  explorer  afterwards,  visited  the  Crystal 
Palace,  and  witnessed  that  curious  entertainment  of 
"  Lord  Chief  Justice  Nicholson,"  the  '''poses 
plastiques "  and  mock-trial,  at  the  Coal-hole.  On 
Saturday  he  hurried  back  across  the  Channel  to 
avoid  the  British  Sunday,  of  which  he  had  had  a 
most  satisfying  experience  during  his  previous  visit 
in  1833. 

The  brief  papers  on  these  topics  are  full  of  gaiety 
and  shrewd  observation,  and  we  can  only  regret  that 
this  prince  of  travellers  did  not  "  do  "  England  on  a 
larger  scale,  and  make  it  the  subject  of  "  Impressions 
de  Voyage  "  in  several  volumes. 

When  a  writer  of  one  nation  atteuTpts  to  repro- 
duce the  racial  character  of  the  people  of  another 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  103 

country,  it  is  only  just  to  be  indulgent,  and  welcome 
any  signs  of  accuracy  and  appreciation.  Dumas 
was  not  a  Chauvinist ,  his  liberal  principles  and 
the  breadth  of  mind  which  European  travel  gave 
him,  guarded  him  against  any  of  those  hysterical 
outbursts  to  which  the  ordinary  Frenchman  is 
subject.  True,  we  do  not  recognise  social  England 
of  a  century  ago. in  "  Kean"  and  "  Richard  Darling- 
ton;" and  "Catherine  Howard"  is,  as  Dumas 
frankly  confesses,  a  violation  of  history,  which  he 
only  justifies  on  the  plea  that  it  produced  some  off- 
spring— that  is,  that  it  was  done  with  a  purpose.  But 
he  has  given  us  the  most  vivid  account  of  the  last  days 
of  Charles  I.  that  romance  has  yet  achieved  ;  he  could 
see  something  to  admire  in  each  of  the  two  great 
antagonists  of  the  Civil  War  ;  and  in  "  San  Felice  " 
his  portrait  of  Nelson  has  much  In  it  that  is  judicious 
and  true.  Dumas  certainly  attributes  the  victory  at 
Waterloo  to  God,  and  not  to  Wellington,  in  which 
he  is  foolish  ;  he  condemns  the  British  treatment  of 
Napoleon  at  St  Helena,  in  which  he  is  undoubtedly 
right  The  conception  of  the  Englishman  which 
Dumas  formed  is  largely  that  which  Jules  Verne 
has  rendered  familiar  to  the  British  schoolboy,  and 
there  is  this  to  be  said  for  it — the  type  has  many  of 
the  best  qualities  which  we  claim  for  ourselves  as  a 
race.  Sir  John  Tanlay  in  the  "  Compagnons  de 
Jehu"  may  or  may  not  be  a  faithful  reproduction  of 


104  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  "  aristocrat "  who  travelled  Europe,  following 
in  the  track  of  Byron,  during  the  first  half  of  the  last 
century ;  but  certainly  he  is  a  gentleman,  and  could 
never  have  been  drawn  by  a  hater  of  our  people. 

It  may  further  be  pointed  out,  that  Dumas  re- 
ceived his  inspiration  as  a  dramatist  from  Shake- 
speare, and  as  a  romancer,  from  Scott,  both  of  whom 
he  fully  and  gratefully  admired.  "  Whenever  he 
met  an  Englishman,"  says  Vandam,  "  he  considered 
it  his  particular  duty  to  make  himself  agreeable  to 
him  as  part  of  the  debt  he  owed  to  Shakespeare  and 
Walter  Scott."  If  Dumas  has  made  fun  —  many 
may  think  legitimate  fun — of  some  of  our  English 
characteristics  and  customs,  he  has  at  least  known 
how  to  admire  our  beautiful  women.  The  sight  of 
a  bevy  of  fair  girls  in  Rotten  Row,  he  tells  us, 
caused  him  to  realise  in  a  flash  that  native  quality 
in  the  heroines  of  Shakespeare,  which  until  that 
moment  he  had  never  quite  understood. 

Some  of  the  remarks  in  his  chapters  on  Eng- 
land are  worth  quoting  here.  "  The  English,  the 
least  artistic  and  most  industrial  (I  say  '  industrial,' 
not  'industrious')  of  peoples,  have  almost  achieved 
art  by  force  of  industry."  .  .  .  "In  Hyde  Park  you 
find  the  finest  horses  and  the  prettiest  women  in 
London,  and  therefore  in  the  whole  world.  But  to 
do  the  Englishmen  justice,  their  first  glance  is  for 
the  horse,  and,  one  might  almost  add,   their   first 


ALEXANDRE  DUxMAS  105 

desire."  .  .  .  "The  Entjlish  think  that  the  biLrcrcr  a 
thing  is,  the  greater  it  is."  .  .  .  "  England  fully  de- 
serves the  title  of  a  great  nation,  if  power  implies 
greatness."  ..."  Everything  is  forbidden  in  England 
on  a  Sunday  ;  after  having  worked  six  days  one 
does  not  rest  on  the  seventh,  there,  07i  sennuie ! 
London  on  a  Sunday  gives  one  an  idea  of  what  the 
kingdom  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty  was  like  before  the 
Princess  was  awakened."  ..."  The  Englishman 
generally  has  the  spleen  in  November.  You  may 
fancy  that  that  is  because  of  the  fog,  which  com- 
mences in  November  and  doesn't  go  away  until 
May.  Not  at  all !  They  have  the  spleen  because 
they  have  been  deprived  of  the  fog  for  four  months. 
You  may  ask  me  what  the  English  make  their  fogs 
of."*  Of  coal,  I  suppose,  but  that  is  a  detail.  It  was 
not  the  good  God  who  made  the  fog,  it  was  the 
English." 

"  Posterity  commences  at  the  frontier."  So  said 
Dumas,  a  little  sadly.  "The  old  order"  had 
changed,  and  fickle  Paris,  Paris  of  the  Second  Empire, 
turned  a  contemptuous  shoulder  on  its  old  favourite. 
P" ranee  had  cooled  down  after  the  Revolution ; 
analytic  fiction  had  superseded  the  romantic.  Partly 
to  rest  from  desk-work,  partly  to  warm  his  genius 
in  the  admiration  of  those  strange  lands  where  his 
works  were  so  well  known  and  so  welcome,  Dumas 
took   to   travel    more   and   more   readily.      In   the 


106  LIFE  AND  AVRITINGS  OF 

winter  of  1858  he  started  for  a  Russian  tour;  and 
the  reason  for  this  sudden  abandonment  of  his 
journal,  his  contracts  and  his  friends,  as  given  by 
M.  Ferry,  is  very  curious — and  characteristic. 

Home,  the  spirituahst,  who  was  then  in  Paris, 
and  with  whom  Dumas  was  at  that  time  very 
friendly,  introduced  the  author  to  a  Russian  count 
and  countess.  Home  was  about  to  marry  the 
lady's  sister — the  wedding  was  to  take  place  in 
St  Petersburg — and  the  count  and  his  wife  per- 
suaded the  impulsive  Dumas  to  leave  Paris  with 
them  in  five  days,  to  be  "  best  man."  Such  a  tour 
had  been  one  of  the  dreams  of  his  life,  and  was  to 
prove  one  of  his  pleasantest  memories.  He  hunted 
wolves ;  he  visited  the  prisons  and  prisoners  of 
the  Russian  government ;  he  crossed  Ladoga,  and 
explored  Finland  ;  he  encountered  a  burning  forest, 
in  which  his  train  ran  a  winning  race  with  death  ; 
he  saw  the  world-famous  fair  of  Nijni  Novgorod; 
he  was  uproariously  feted  by  officers  at  Kaliasine, 
who  broke  their  leave  to  see  him  on  his  journey; 
he  became  the  guest  of  a  Kalmuck  prince  in  the 
Caucasus,  and  was  royally  entertained  in  true, 
though  somewhat  terrifying,  Tartar  fashion  ;  he 
crossed  savage  south  Russia  in  a  tarantass,  and 
returned  via  Tiflis,  Trebizond  and  Constantinople, 
having  thoroughly  enjoyed  himself.  And  no 
wonder,    for    his    name    was    known,    and    excited 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  107 

flattery  and  hospitality  everywhere.  He  was 
absent  ten  months,  and  yet  spent  only  12,000 
francs,  so  generous  had  been  the  welcome  of  his 
hosts  throughout  the  Empire. 

But  the  social  miseries  which  he  saw  in  the  life 
of  Russia  profoundly  saddened  Dumas.  Although 
the  emancipation  of  the  serfs  has  taken  place  since 
his  day,  much  of  the  following  is  still  too  true,  and 
was  written,  be  it  remembered,  before  Russia  was 
exploited  by  the  politicians  : — 

"  The  Russian  Empire  is  one  gigantic  surface, 
and  no  one  seems  to  care  what  lies  below  it.  And 
what  is  more  curious  still,  is,  that  in  this  land  of 
abuses,  everyone,  from  the  Emperor  to  the  lowest 
serf,  desires  that  they  should  cease.  But  as  soon 
as  one  lays  hands  on  an  abuse  in  Russia,  what  is 
it  makes  the  loudest  protest  ?  The  abuse  which 
is  threatened  .'*  No,  that  would  be  too  clumsy ! — 
it  is  the  abuses  which  fear  to  be  assailed  in  their 
turn,  that  make  the  great  outcry ! " 

And  this  is  his  prophecy  respecting  Russia's 
future  : — 

"  There  is  a  taint  of  the  old  Tartar,  or  Hun, 
in  this  race  of  modern  conquerors,  and  one  finds 
it  hard  to  reconcile  their  appetite  for  territory,  with 
the  canons  of  civilisation  and  intelligence.  One 
day  Russia  will  take  Constantinople  :  it  is  written 
in  the  book  of  fate.      Fair  races  have  always  been 


108  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  conquering  nations  :  the  dark  nationalities  have 
had  only  brief  periods  of  reactionary  success.  Then 
Russia  will  break,  not  into  two  parts,  but  into 
four.  ...  It  is  impossible  that  an  empire  which 
to-day  covers  a  seventh  part  of  the  globe  should 
remain  under  one  hand.  If  it  grips  too  hard,  the 
hand  itself  will  break  ;  if  it  holds  its  prey  too 
loosely,  it  will  be  forced  to  open  its  fingers  and 
release  its  charge." 

In  1859  Dumas  made  the  acquaintance  of  "that 
charming  woman,"  as  Glinel  calls  her,  Emilie 
Cordier,  better  known  in  those  days  as  "L'Amiral," 
partly  because  she  was  accustomed  to  dress  en 
gargon,  and  partly  because  she  accompanied  the 
romancer  during  his  maritime  adventures  of  the 
following  year.  The  intimacy,  indeed,  lasted  until 
1864.  If  we  may  say  so  without  being  misunder- 
stood, there  was  something  paternal  in  the  love  of 
Dumas  for  the  young  girl,  something  filial  in  her 
affection  for  him ;  and  yet  a  child  was  born  of  this 
liaison,  at  the  close  of  i860.  The  news  of  the 
event  drew  from  Dumas  two  charming  letters,  which 
are  worth  quoting,  not  only  because  they  are  so 
characteristic  of  the  man,  but  because  very  few 
letters  from  this  "  living  pen "  are  extant.  In  his 
introduction  to  "  Un  Gil  Bias  en  Californie"  he 
laughingly  proclaims  himself  the  literary  man  who 
writes  the  most  books  and  the  fewest  letters.     On 


ALEXANDRE    DUMAS    FILS. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  lOO 

the  other  hand  many  of  his  books  —  notably  the 
"  Causeries,"  and  many  of  the  "Impressions  de 
Voyage  " — are  in  the  epistolary  form  and  spirit. 

The  first  letter  is  to  the  mother  : — 

"  Joy  and  happiness  to  thee,  my  dear  love  of  a 
child,  for  sending  me  the  good  news  that  my  little 
Micaella  has  come  into  the  world,  and  that  her 
mother  is  going  on  well. 

"  You  know,  my  dear  little  one,  that  I  preferred 
a  girl.  I  will  tell  you  why.  I  love  Alexandre 
better  than  Marie  ;  I  see  Marie  only  once  a  year, 
whilst  I  can  see  Alexandre  whenever  I  wish.  So 
that  all  the  love  I  might  have  had  for  Marie  will 
now  fall  to  the  share  of  my  little  Micaella.  I  fancy 
I  see  her  lying  by  the  side  of  her  little  mother, 
whom  I  forbid  to  get  up  and  go  out  before  I  come. 
I  am  arranging  to  be  in  Paris  about  the  12th — it 
will  be  impossible  for  me  to  be  there  sooner,  in  spite 
of  my  eagerness. 

"  If  I  tell  thee  one  thing,  my  dear  love,  thou 
may  St  well  believe  it  true.  In  an  hour  my  heart 
has  grown  bigger,  to  make  room  for  this  new 
love ! 

"If  for  the  next  few  months  thou  dost  not  wish 
to  be  separated  from  thy  child,  we  will  take  a  little 
house  at  Iscliia,  in  the  best  air  and  on  the  prettiest 
island  in  all  Naples,  and  I  will  come  and  spend  two 
or  three  days  every  week  with  you  all  the  spring 


no  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

through  :  in  short,   rely  on  me  to  cherish  mother 
and  child. 

^^  Att  revoir,  ma  petite  cherie ;  embrace  for  me 
the  Donna  Micaella, — who  is  no  bigger  than  one's 
thumb,  so  Madame  de  C.  writes.  I  will  answer 
hers  by  the  next  mail,  as  well  as  your  mother's, 
whom  I  embrace.     A  toi  et  a  r enfant. 

"Alex.  Dumas." 

"  To  think  that  I  have  only  got  thy  letter  to-day 
(the  1st),  and  that  thou  wilt  not  get  this,  perhaps, 
before  the  i6th  ! 

^^  Je  faime  !  " 

The  second  letter  is  to  the  baby : — 

"  MoN  Cher  Beb^, — As  thy  good  grandmother — 
whom  thou  must  love  dearly,  as  well  as  thy  little 
mother — writes  me  that  you  have  need  of  money,  I 
send  thee  1 50  francs  for  thy  new  year's  gift. 

"  I  shall  try  to  send  thee  also  a  little  hamper  of 
good  things. 

"  There  will  be  nothing  to  pay  to  the  messenger 
who  brings  it. 

"  I  embrace  thee  very  tenderly. — Thy  father  who 
loves  thee,  *'  Alex.  Dumas." 

We  make  no  apology  for  adding  here  three  letters 
which  have  no  strict  historical  value,  so  far  as  our 
subject  is  concerned,  but  are  too  characteristic  of 
their    author,    with    his    large-heartedness,    his    ir- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  111 

reverence  (which  it  would  be  foolisli  to  take  ati 
sSrieux),  and  above  all,  his  gaiety,  to  be  omitted. 
The  first  is  to  Charles  Nodier,  and  is  dated 
September  2nd,  1836: — 

"  My  Good  Charles, — My  great  idler,  my  illus- 
trious confrere,  you  who  know  the  Past  and  the 
Present  better  than  God  himself — I  don't  speak  of 
the  future  lest  I  humiliate  Him  too  much — be  good 
enough  to  tell  me  who  originated  this  fatal  mania  of 
autograph-hunting  of  which  you  and  I  are  victims. 
Someone  has  asked  me  this  and  I  didn't  know  what 
to  say;  or  rather  I  replied  that  I  had  my  Charles, 
who  knew  everything,  and  that  I  would  write  to 
him. 

"Ten  lines,  T  beg,  my  good  Nodier;  I  will  come 
and  thank  you  for  them  on  Sunday  next.  You  see 
that  you  do  not  get  rid  of  me  easily ! 

"  Adieu  !  I  reverence  you  as  a  master,  I  love  you 
as  a  brother,  and  respect  you  as  a  son. 

"Alex.  Dumas." 

The  second  letter,  dated  1849,  is  to  the  critic 
and  influential  journalist,  Jules  Janin  : — 

"  Mv  Dear  Janin, — You  know  of  the  death  of 
poor  litde  Maillet?  We  have  buried  her  this 
morning.  She  leaves  a  mother  and  a  young 
child. 

"  The  mother  Is  Z"].      Help  us  to  the  best  of  your 


112  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

power — with  subscriptions,  tlieatrical  benefits,  etc. — 
to  get  her  into  a  hospital  for  the  aged. 

"As  for  the  child,  if  the  father  does  not  come 
forward  I  will  take  charge  of  it  myself.  It  is  only 
three  years  old,  and  it  doesn't  eat  much  yet.  I  will 
work  an  hour  a  day  longer,  and  that  will  be  all 
right. — A  V02CS,  "Alex.  Dumas." 

The  third,  which  is  in  our  possession,  is  no  more 
than  an  invitation  to  supper,  but  is  interesting  as 
giving  a  list  of  the  novelist's  intimate  friends.  It 
bears  no  date  : — 

**  My  dear  M^ry, — Come  to-night  (Monday)  and 
sup  with  me,  46  Rue  Rutier,  at  9.30  in  the  evening. 
"  I  will  take  no  excuse. — Yours, 

"  Al.  Dumas." 

Hugo.^  Charles.  Brohan. 

Lacroix.  Toto.  De  Leuven. 

Janin.  Les  Melingue.  Person. 

Meurice.  Les  Guyons.  Moi. 
Vaquerie. 

On  his  return  from  Russia,  the  "wandering  Jew  of 
literature,"  as  he  called  himself  with  sad  significance, 

^  The  guests  include  Mery,  the  invited,  a  Marseilles  poet-author, 
and  intimate  friend  of  Dumas's  ;  Victor  Hugo  ;  Paul  Lacroix,  the 
author  ;  Jules  Janin,  the  critic  ;  Paul  Meurice,  Dumas's  collaborator  ; 
Auguste  Vaquerie,  the  auliior  and  dramatist  ;  Charles  Hugo  ;  Dumas 
Ji/s  ;  Melingue,  the  comedian,  and  his  wife  ;  (kiyons  and  his  wife  ; 
Augustine  Brohan,  the  actress  :  and  Adolphe  De  Leuven,  the  friend 
of  Dumas's  youth. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  113 

soon  wearied  of  Paris  and  his  declining  popularity. 
Feelinof  the  desire  to  travel  come  over  him  once 
more,  Dumas  determined  on  a  tour  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean which  should  surpass  all  his  previous  ex- 
plorations. In  a  little  boat  of  his  own,  he  would 
visit  Egypt,  Sparta,  Athens,  Corinth,  the  site  of 
ancient  Troy,  Abydos,  Constantinople !  Such  an 
experience  had  been  one  of  the  dreams  of  his  life. 
But  no  sooner  was  the  little  schooner  Enwia 
built,  no  sooner  had  the  merry  party  left  Marseilles 
in  April  i860  for  Nice,  than  the  whole  scheme  was 
abandoned.  Dumas's  hopes  of  pleasure,  his  holiday, 
his  money,  his  safety  even,  were  sacrificed  without  a 
murmur  or  a  thought,  to — vanity,  his  critics  say. 
The  reader  shall  judge  for  himself. 

Garibaldi  had  just  landed  in  Sicily,  to  give  force 
and  vigour  to  the  revolt  of  the  Italians  against  the 
rule  of  Ferdinand.  The  two  men  were  no  strangers. 
In  January  of  that  year  the  author  had  met  the 
soldier  at  Milan,  and  a  warm  friendship  had  sprung 
up  between  them.  But  Dumas  tells  us  that  ten  years 
before  that,  he  had  recognised  Garibaldi's  abilit)-, 
energy  and  integrity.^ 

^  So  loudly  (says  Blaze  de  Bury)  had  Dumas  proclaimed  the  skill 
and  valour  of  that  other  "force  of  nature"  Garibaldi,  that  a  certain 
consul  in  Italy  thought  it  wise  to  report  the  existence  of  this  unknown 
person  to  headquarters.  But  when  he  confessed  the  source  of  his 
information,  the  consul  was  curtly  forbidden  to  trouble  his  superiors 
with  the  idle  talk  of  a  romancer  ! 

H 


114         LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Immediately  he  heard  the  news,  Dumas  set  sail 
in  his  little  craft  for  Sicily,  joined  Garibaldi  and  his 
band  of  "  redshirts,"  marched  across  the  island  with 
them  and  shared  their  fortunes.  After  his  con- 
quering journey  along  the  north  of  Sicily  from  west 
to  east,  Garibaldi  prepared  to  cross  Messina  Straits 
and  begin  his  campaign  on  the  mainland  at  Reggio  ; 
but  he  needed  arms  for  the  recruits  who  flocked  to 
join  him.  Dumas  had  50,000  francs  with  him — the 
money  which  was  to  have  bought  him  his  year  of 
pleasure  in  classic  lands.  He  sailed  from  Marseilles, 
after  "  running  the  blockade "  of  a  Royalist  ship, 
bought  the  guns  with  his  money,  and  returned  to 
Italy.  At  Naples  he  acted  as  Garibaldi's  envoy, 
stimulating  the  agitation  there,  and  was  expelled 
by  the '  king  for  his  bold,  seditious  conduct. 
"  Everywhere"  (says  Maxime  du  Camp,  who  was 
with  Garibaldi's  staff  as  a  volunteer),  "  he  gave  the 
word  of  command,  and  worked  to  prepare  for 
Italian  unity." 

When  Garibaldi  was  at  length  master  of  Naples, 
he  made  Dumas  the  only  return  the  author  asked — 
gave  him  the  appointment  of  "  director  of  beazix- 
arts^  This  was  an  honorary  post-,  involving  the 
spending  of  much  time  and  trouble  ;  but  the  French- 
man had  set  his  heart  upon  carrying  out  well  and 
thoroughly  the  excavations  at  Pompeii,  which  had 
been  neglected  by  the  late   government.      He  was 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  115 

now  installed  in  a  little  plainly  furnislied  palazzo, 
bent  upon  devoting"  all  his  energ"ies  to  the  service 
of  archaeology  and  the  discovery  of  priceless  art- 
treasures  ;  but  the  Neapolitans,  learning  that  a 
stranger  had  been  appointed  to — some  post  or  other 
— waxed  indignant.  This  "job,"  as  Mr  Fitzgerald 
elegantly  calls  it,  excited  the  rabble,  and  Dumas,  in 
the  midst  of  his  gaiety  and  his  unselfish  labours, 
was  hooted  and  mobbed  by  the  people  for  whom  he 
had  worked  so  hard.  For  a  time,  the  ingratitude  of 
the  populace  stunned  him,  and  he  was  undisguisedly 
pained ;  but  by  degrees  his  spirits  returned.  This 
experience  was  probably  still  fresh  in  Dumas's  mind 
when,  on  the  occasion  of  Victor  Emmanuel's 
triumphal  entry  into  Naples,  he  pointed  out  to  Du 
Camp  that  there  were  no  Garibaldians  in  the 
procession.  (As  a  matter  of  fact  we  know  how  the 
king  had  insulted  the  Garibaldians,  and  caused  them 
to  absent  themselves.)  ''  II  jmU  faire  le  bicn  dtuie 
fafon  abstraite^  et  ne  jamais  penser  d  la  recompense" 
was  our  author's  philosophic  comment. 

Nevertheless  he  stayed  in  Naples  for  four  years, 
occasionally  paying  flying  visits  to  Paris, — ^"to  have 
a  chat,"  as  he  laughingly  tells  us.  But  the  Indi- 
pendant,  the  journal  which  Garibaldi  had  named 
and  which  Dumas  conducted,  so  faithfully  fulfilled 
its  title,  that  the  editor  was  continually  in  collision 
with  Victor   Emmanuel's   officials,  and    in    1864  ^^ 


116  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

returned  to  Paris,  where  the  usual  flattering  chorus 
of  welcome  greeted  him. 

"  He  was  just  the  same  as  ever,"  says  Ferry, 
"  big,  powerful,  robust,  and  yet  so  well-proportioned 
that  he  could  not  be  accused  of  stoutness.  His 
head,  so  firmly  set  upon  that  massive  neck,  was 
crowned  with  a  forest  of  crisp,  grey  hair ;  the  face, 
with  its  vivacious  eyes,  and  mobile  mouth,  shone 
with  almost  perpetual  gaiety.  Never  have  good 
humour,  cordiality,  affability  and  contagious  good 
spirits  shown  themselves  in  a  human  face  with  such 
expressive  fidelity." 

The  summer  of  that  year  was  spent  at  the  Villa 
Catinat,  a  charming  country  house  on  the  borders 
of  lake  Enghien,  where  our  author  had  for  neigh- 
bour his  old  friend  Madame  de  Girardin.  Un- 
fortunately his  parasites  found  him  out  once  more, 
and  his  "  Sundays "  were  the  talk  of  Paris.  On 
one  occasion,  when  the  servants,  after  a  quarrel 
with  Dumas's  mistress,  had  all  departed  summarily, 
leaving  the  larder  bare,  the  host,  who  was  almost 
as  famous  a  cook  as  a  writer,  discovered  some 
rice  and  tomatoes,  and  prepared  for  his  crowd 
of  unsuspecting  guests  a  regal  and  gigantic 
dish  which  entirely  satisfied  their  appetites  and 
palates. 

"  In  1864,"  the  Martins  tell  us  in  their  interesting 
book    "The    Stones    of    Paris,"     "the    American 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  117 

Minister  to  France,  Mr  John  Bigelow,  breakfasted 
with  Dumas  at  Saint-Gratien,  near  Paris,  where 
the  romancer  was  temporarily  sojourning.  It  was 
towards  the  close  of  the  American  Civil  War,  and 
he  had  a  notion  of  going  to  the  United  States  as 
War  Correspondent  for  French  papers,  and  to  make 
another  book,  of  course."  Unhappily  Dumas  did 
not  go,  and  the  book  is  lost  to  us. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  famous  quadroon, 
whose  sympathies  were  naturally  with  the  North  in 
the  great  struggle,  sent  to  Lincoln  a  large  sum  of 
money  for  the  widows  of  the  slain  abolitionists. 
When  acknowledging  the  gift,  the  President  sug- 
gested that  Dumas  should  send  out  some  "mottoes' 
with  his  autograph  attached.  The  author  duly 
forwarded  a  hundred  slips  of  paper,  each  with  a 
sententious  line  or  two  and  the  great  man's  auto- 
graph. These  were  sold  in  the  United  States  at 
600  francs  each. 

The  great  writer  was  now  growing  old.  He 
could  no  longer  work  twelve,  fourteen,  sixteen 
hours  a  day  ;  and  his  efforts  were  unequal  to  the 
task  of  paying  his  way.  Yet  neither  his  dramatic 
instinct,  nor  his  quixotic  sense  of  honour  failed  him. 
The  directorate  of  the  Porte  St  Martin  became 
bankrupt,  and  the  company  was  left  stranded. 
Dumas  had  just  announced  in  the  press  that  he 
had    a    play — a    dramatisation     of    "  ^ladame     de 


118          LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Chamblay "  —  ready  for  production  ;  but  not  a 
managfer  in  Paris  deioj^ned  even  to  send  for  the 
manuscript  of  the  author  of  "Antony."  Some  of 
the  Porte  St  Martin  company,  however,  being  at 
their  wits'  end  for  employment,  appealed  to  Dumas 
to  give  them  the  manuscript,  as  they  had  hired  the 
Theatre  Ventadour,  and  wished  to  open  with  a 
new  play.  No  sooner  had  he  lent  the  drama  to 
the  poverty-stricken  actors,  than  a  representative 
of  the  Comedie  Fran^aise  itself,  came  to  open 
negotiations  with  him.  Dumas  refused :  he  had 
given  his  word.  The  play  was  produced,  but  the 
hot  weather  and  the  cold  critics  killed  it,  although 
when  revived  later  on,  it  proved  a  success  in  spite 
of  the  press. 

Dumas's  enemies  were  now  gaining  the  upper 
hand  of  their  old  antagonist,  and  they  did  not  spare 
him.  He  had  occasion  at  this  time  to  write  to 
his  old  companion  of  the  trip  to  Monte  Cristo. 
One  of  our  author's  plays  had  been  forbidden  by 
the  censor,  and  in  France  there  is — or  was — no 
limit  to  the  extent  of  the  censor's  power.  He 
wrote  a  public  letter  to  the  Emperor,  pointing  out 
that  this  was  the  seventh  of  his  plays  or  books 
which  had  been  thus  prohibited — and  that  on  almost 
every  occasion  It  was  a  revival  of  the  play  which 
was  condemned,  and  not  a  new  play  at  all !  The 
order  was  revoked. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  119 

Still  another  role  was  reserved  for  this  Protean 
man — that  of  lecturer.  Dumas  was  persuaded  into 
giving  a  chatty,  vivid  talk  on  the  paintings  of  his 
old  friend  Delacroix.  These  lectures,  which  were 
given  at  the  "  Fantaisies-Parisiens,"  were  packed, 
as  they  deserved  to  be.  It  was  probably  this 
success  which  aroused  one  of  the  lecturer's  sleep- 
ing ambitions,  for  early  in  the  next  year  he  en- 
eaijed  the  "  Grand-Theatre  Parisiens "  in  the  Rue 
de  Lyon,  and  produced  his  version  of  "  Catherine 
Blum  "  there.  But  the  play  was  a  failure  ;  Dumas's 
secretary,  who  was  nominally  the  lessee  of  the 
building,  turned  out  to  be  a  rogue  and  embezzled 
the  money,  and  the  scheme  came  to  naught.^  In 
the  following  year,  still  clinging  to  his  belief  that 
the  sons  of  his  old  patrons  would  inherit  the  tastes 
of  their  fathers,  the  dramatist  appealed  to  his 
"unknown  friends"  the  public,  to  subscribe  to  a 
species  of  co-operative  play-house,  a  new  "  Theatre 
Historique,"  with  an  eminent  banker  for  treasurer 
and  himself  as  the  manager.     The  very  slight  and 

^  Dumas,  owing  his  company  arrears  of  salary,  met  the  situation  in 
a  characteristic  and  ingenious  way.  He  gave  the  members  collectively 
the  right  to  play  the  piece,  and  promised  that  whenever  it  was  per- 
formed within  reach  of  Paris,  he  would  attend  if  duly  notified.  On  one 
occasion  the  author  missed  his  train,  and  did  not  reach  the  theatre 
till  the  second  act.  The  audience,  who  before  his  arrival  had  been 
too  uproarious  and  distracted  to  follow  the  play,  insisted,  as  soon  as 
their  darling  appeared  and  peace  was  restored,  that  the  actors  should 
begin  all  over  again— which  they  were  obliged  to  do  ! 


120  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

quite  inadequate  response  to  this  invitation  gave 
the  dramatist  another  painful  shock  of  self-revela- 
tion. 

In  1866  the  war  between  Austria  and  Prussia 
broke  out,  and  Dumas,  his  love  of  history  and  of 
travel  both  ursfinof  him,  set  out  for  Frankfort,  to 
study  the  crisis  presented  by  the  growing  power  of 
Prussia  in  mid  -  Europe,  and  to  traverse  the  yet- 
warm  battlefields  of  the  campaign.  The  result 
was  "  La  Terreur  Prusslenne,"  In  which  the  author, 
filled  with  disquietude,  sees  in  Prussian  predomin- 
ance a  menace  to  other  nations,  and  to  France 
above  all. 

Forced  to  earn  money  as  best  he  could,  Dumas 
went  down  to  the  Havre  Exhibition  of  1868,  and 
lectured  there,  and  at  Caen,  Rouen  and  other  towns, 
on  his  way  back.  Two  or  three  of  his  plays  were 
revived  about  this  time,  but  the  old  spirit  of  hostility 
was  again  shown  by  the  critics,  who  managed  to 
wound  the  now  enfeebled  playwright.  To  the  last 
he  was  ridiculed,  abused  and  slandered.  Lamartine, 
lor  whom  the  romancer  had  always  felt  a  'warm 
admiration,  died  In  1869,  worn  out  with  the  struggle 
against  his  debts  and  his  enemies ;  and  the  news 
saddened  Dumas,  for  it  gave  him  a  foreboding  of 
his  own  end. 

This  brilliant  and  illustrious  life  was  itself  draw- 
ing   very     near    to    a     close,     amidst     humiliating 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  121 

poverty,  oblivion  and  suffering.  Spongers  and 
duns  wrested  from  the  failing  giant  every  penny 
that  was  not  jealously  guarded  for  him  ;  and  care, 
which  the  gay  heart  had  so  long  kept  at  bay,  stole 
in  and  shared  the  old  man's  fireside.  The  father 
had  always  felt  a  certain  timidity  towards  his  son  : 
the  careless,  improvident  dupe  had  dreaded  the  re- 
proaches of  the  other's  more  worldly  wisdom.  Not 
until  the  very  bread  was  lacking,  not  until  the  pawn- 
shop had  been  visited,  did  the  older  man  send  hint 
of  his  needs  to  his  beloved  "  Alexandre."  Again, 
when  disease  crept  upon  him,  Dumas  hid  that  fact 
from  his  son  also,  and  it  was  not  until  the  old  man's 
daughter,  taking  alarm,  sent  physicians  to  see  him, 
that  the  time  came  for  Alexandre  fils  to  realise  the 
position,  and  assert  himself. 

From  that  moment  the  cares  of  money  matters  at 
least,  were  over.  Dumas  was  taken  to  FInisterre, 
and  lastly,  to  his  son's  house  at  Puys  near  Dieppe, 
where  he  remained  until  the  last,  watched  over, 
cared  for  and  comforted,  in  a  manner  which  had 
lonof  been  strange  to  him. 

But  now  another  care  haunted  the  great  man ; 
and  day  and  night  his  clouding  mind  brooded  upon 
it.  Would  his  work  live  after  hlm.^  One  day 
when  he  could  keep  It  to  himself  no  longer,  his 
anguish  found  voice. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  he  said  to  his  son,  "  that  I  am 


122  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

standing  on  the  pedestal  of  a  monument  which 
trembles,  as  though  it  were  based  on  shifting 
sands." 

"  Be  at  peace,"  answered  his  son  ;  "  the  pillar  is 
well  built,  and  the  base  will  stand  firm." 

The  dying  father  drew  his  son  toward  him,  and 
the  two  met  in  a  silent  embrace.  It  was  the  cry 
of  the  soul  doubting  its  own  genius  ;  the  agony 
of  doubt  which  seized  Keats  when  he  bade  them 
write  as  his  epitaph,  "  Here  lies  one  whose  name 
was  writ  in  water." 

In  his  introduction  to  "  Les  Trois  Mousque- 
taires,"  Dumas  fils  tells  this  anecdote,  and 
adds,  by  way  of  supporting  his  prophecy,  that 
from  1870  to  1893  no  less  than  2,840,000 
volumes  of  his  father's  books  had  been  sold  in 
France  alone,  not  counting  80,000,000  of  illus- 
trated parts. 

The  dying  man  doubted  everything.  The  world, 
he  fancied,  had  not  advanced  as  it  had  promised 
to  do  in  the  days  of  the  glorious  revolutions,  politi- 
cal and  social,  of  the  mid-century.  Such  an  age 
of  agitation,  he  prophesied,  would  end  in  an  era 
of  disillusionment.  And  truly  for  France  the  out- 
look was  dark,  for  the  Prussians  had  overthrown 
Napoleon  and  were  invading  France.  In  his 
early  days  Dumas  had  seen  the  Prussians  at  the 
gates  of   Paris  ;    in   his   last    days   he  would    have 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  123 

witnessed  a  like  spectacle  had  he  stayed  there. 
But  all  such  news  was  mercifully  kept  from 
him. 

"  One  day,"  wrote  his  son,  "  the  pen  dropped 
from  his  hands,  and  he  began  to  sleep."  Like  his 
own  Porthos,  the  child  of  his  virile  brain,  Dumas 
was  struggling  with  all  a  Titan's  strength  against 
the  forces  of  nature  which  weighed  upon  him  and 
which  were  slowly  crushing  and  stifling  the  life 
from  his  giant  frame  and  his  great  heart.  All 
night,  and  almost  all  the  day,  he  slept  ;  and  if, 
with  his  old  desire  for  work,  he  took  pen  in  hand, 
no  responsive  thought  nerved  the  fingers ;  the 
weapon  with  which  he  had  once  wrought  such 
wonders  fell  from  his  nerveless  finders.  Excess 
of  labour,  far  more  than  excess  of  pleasure,  had 
made  the  brain  mute  at  last. 

In  his  brief  moments  of  ViQ-ht  Dumas  would 
play  with  his  son's  children,  or  would  sit  where 
his  nurses  placed  him  on  the  beach,  gazing, 
motionless,  at  the  sea,  thinking  long,  long 
thoucjhts. 

On  the  morning  of  December  5th,  1870,  a  priest 
was  sent  for.  He  found  son  and  daughter  on  their 
knees  by  the  side  of  the  dying  m-an.  The  good 
cure  called  his  penitent  by  name,  an'd  Dumas  slowly 
opened  his  eyes.  He  could  not  speak.  He  died 
that  afternoon 


124  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Two  years  later,  when  the  Prussians  had  de- 
parted, Alexandre  Dumas  was  able  to  take  his 
father  home  to  Villers-Cotterets,  where  he  had 
wished  to  lie.  A  host  of  distinguished  authors 
and  actors  came  to  bid  their  old  confrere  farewell, 
but  the  simple  reverence  and  affection  shown  by 
the  dead  man's  old  village  friends  was  a  far  truer 
token  of  the  love  that  he  had  won.  When  the 
train  arrived  with  the  coffin,  the  people  were 
quietly  waiting  in  the  streets  to  greet  it,  and 
young  and  old  pressed  forward  to  contend  with 
the  bearers  for  the  honour  of  carrying  the  body 
of  their  lost,  dear  friend.  There,  with  the  father 
of  whom  he  was  so  proud,  with  the  mother 
whom  he  so  tenderly  loved,  he  lies,  in  the  little 
town  from  which  he  set  out  on  the  pilgrimage 
of  life,  and  to  which  he  so  often  looked  wistfully 
back. 

In  the  words  of  the  man  whom  he  reverenced 
most, 

"  After  life's  fitful  fever,  he  sleeps  well."  .  .  . 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  125 

His  Character. 

"  The  great  eater,  worker,  earner  and  waster, 
the  man  of  much  and  witty  laughter,  the  man  of 
great  heart  and,  alas,  of  the  doubtful  honesty,  is 
a  figure  not  yet  clearly  set  before  the  world,"  wrote 
R.  L.  Stevenson.  "  He  still  awaits  a  sober  and 
yet  genial  portrait,  but  with  whatever  art  that  may 
be  touched,  and  whatever  indulgence,  it  will  not 
be  the  portrait  of  a  precisian."  That  is  quite  true, 
but  in  trying  to  sketch  Dumas's  character  accord- 
ing to  the  ideal  Stevenson  has  given  us,  we  hope 
to  show  the  "  ventripotent  mulatto"  (as  that  author 
wrongly  calls  him)  less  black,  both  outwardly  and 
inwardly,  than  even  the  admiring  essayist  deemed 
him, — for  we  seem  to  see  the  slimy  traces  of  that 
ubiquitous  snake-in-the-grass  "  M.  de  Mirecourt" 
in  this  passage  from   "  Memories  and  Portraits." 

Happily  we  cannot  mistake  our  starting-point, 
for  it  is  obviously  best  to  commence  one's  journey 
round  a  character  with  that  which  is  the  subject's 
most  characteristic  quality,  and  which  first  strikes 
those  who  read  about  him  or  come  into  his  literary 
presence.  A  score  of  Dumas's  contemporaries  have 
left  us  their  impressions  of  the  great  impressionist, 
and  they  have  one  and  all  laid  emphasis  on  his 
gaiety — a  naive  heartiness  and  healthiness  of  tem- 
perament, springing  from  a  semi-tropical  nature,   a 


126  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

magnificent  constitution,  an  unclouded  self-con- 
fidence, a  kind,  generous  heart,  and  brilliant  social, 
dramatic,  and  literary  successes.  ^^  Hercules  bon 
enfant^'  Maxime  Du  Camp  called  him,  adding : — 

"  Like  a  giant  who  knows  his  strength  and  fears 
to  take  advantage  of  it,  he  was  gentle.  I  have 
never  seen  in  him — I  will  not  say  a  sign  of  anger — 
but  not  even  a  movement  of  impatience.  If  ever 
a  man  was  lovable,  in  the  original  sense  of  the 
word,  that  is  '  made  to  be  loved,'  Dumas  was  that 
man.  ...  He  had  so  much  wit  himself  that  every 
one  who  was  with  him  believed  they  had  it  too." 

He  seems  to  have  created,  as  it  were,  an  atmo- 
sphere of  esprit  which  was  breathed  by  all  who 
came  within  its  influence. 

Roger  de  Beauvoir,  the  author  of  "  L'Ecolier 
de  Cluny,"  one  day  visited  the  great  man's  rooms 
in  his  absence,  and  was  shown  into  the  kitchen 
instead  of  the  study.  Wishing  to  "  leave  his  card," 
he  picked  up  his  friend's  account-book,  and  wrote 
this  quatrain  on  one  of  the  pages  : — 

"  Sur  ce  carnet,  Dumas  ecrit, 
Jour  par  jour,  tout  ce  qu'il  depense, 
II  n'y  pourrait  mettre,  je  pense 
Tout  ce  qu'il  depense  d'esprit !  " ' 

Many  of  the  best  stories  told  of  Dumas  naturally 

^  "  In  this  book  Dumas  has  writ 

All  that  he  spends  from  day  to  day  ; 
'Twould  never  hold,  I  dare  to  say, 
His  great  expenditure  of  wit ! " 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  127 

relate  to  the  theatre,  of  which  he  was  such  an 
habitue,  and  the  drama,  of  which  he  was  such  a 
master.  "  Before  telHng  one  of  the  best  of  these," 
(says  Mr  W.  H.  Pollock),  "it  is  necessary  to  re- 
member that  Pierre  Corneille,  the  great  dramatist, 
had  a  younger  brother  named  Thomas,  who  had 
a  considerable  talent  which  was  completely  over- 
shadowed by  the  greater  genius  of  his  brother. 
There  was  also  in  the  heiofht  of  Dumas 's  success 
another  playwright — no  relation  of  his — who  bore 
the  name  of  Dumas.  This  writer  produced  a  play 
which  is  forgotten  now,  but  which  on  the  night 
of  its  production  had  enough  success  to  intoxicate 
the  author  with  joy.  After  the  curtain  had  fallen, 
the  obscure  Dumas  came  into  the  box  of  the  oreat 
Dumas  and  said : 

"  '  Ah  !  after  to-night  people  will  talk  of  the  two 
Dumas  as  they  talk  of  the  two  Corneilles  ! ' 

"  '  H'm ! '  said  the  great  man,  looking  at  him  from 
head  to  foot — '  adieu,  Thomas  ! '  " 

The  phrase  "  the  French  Sheridan  "  occurs  irre- 
sistibly to-  the  mind,  when  one  remembers  the 
Master's  wit  and  improvidence.  There  is  some- 
thing very  like  the  author  of  the  "  School  for 
Scandal "  about  the  hero  of  the  following  story. 

One  eveninor  at  the  Theatre  Francais  Dumas  saw 
one  of  the  audience  asleep  in  his  stall  during  the 
representation  of  a  play  by  Soumet. 


128  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"  See,"  said  the  dramatist  to  his  confrere,  "that's 
the  effect  that  your  plays  produce  !  " 

The  next  day  a  comedy  of  Dumas's  was  played, 
and  the  author  was  present.  Suddenly  Soumet 
tapped  his  friend's  shoulder,  and  pointed  out  a 
gentleman  asleep  in  the  orchestra,  saying  in  bitter- 
sweet accents  : 

"You  see,  my  dear  friend,  that  one  falls  asleep 
just  the  same  when  listening  to  your  prose." 

"That?  Why  that  is  the  gentleman  who  went 
to  sleep  yesterday,  and  hasn't  woke  up  yet ! "  re- 
torted the  other. 

In  spite  of  his  social  rank  Dumas  was  just  as 
much  at  home  in  the  boulevards,  with  the  gamins, 
and  the  populace,  who  loved  him  and  whom  he 
loved,  as  with  the  wits  and  peers.  He  was  walking 
one  day  with  his  secretary  Pifteau,  and  looking  for 
a  cab,  when  a  post-office  mail-omnibus  rolled  by. 

"Stop!"  he  cried  to  the  driver,  "give  us  a  lift. 
We're  men  of  letters,  too  !  " 

The  postman  grinned  as  he  whipped  up  his 
horses. 

The  mots  uttered  by  Dumas  or  attributed  to  him 
were  numberless.  The  saying  ''tout  passe,  toict 
lasse,  tout  casse^'  is  said  to  have  been  originated  by 
him.  The  witty  utterances  in  his  books  have  all 
the  flavour,  and  unexpectedness  of  spoken  jests. 
"  Heaven   has   made  but  one  drama  for  man — the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  129 

world,"  he  wrote,  "  and  durinc^  these  three  thousand 
years  mankind  has  been  hissing  it"  "  A  young 
man,"  he  wrote  to  Beranger,  "always  makes  his 
entry  into  public  life  with  an  old  woman  on  his 
ari:i,  and  into  the  world  of  literature  with  an  old 
thought  in  his  head.  One  needs  to  have  much 
experience  before  young  ideas  will  come." 

There  was  human  truth,  too,  in  this  :  "When  the 
prodigal  son  returned  to  his  father's  house  after 
three  years  they  killed  a  calf;  if  he  had  not  re- 
turned for  six  years  they  would  have  killed  an  ox." 
Again,  take  this  passage  from  his  "  Memoires  "  as  a 
sample  of  the  style  of  their  contents  :  "  I  have  been 
confessing  the  ridiculous  weaknesses  of  my  child- 
hood ;  I  shall  be  equally  frank  about  those  of  my 
)Outh.  I  shall  be  more  courageous  than  Rousseau  : 
Rousseau  confessed  only  his  vices." 

There  is  no  room  here  for  a  volume  of  jaix 
d esprit^  spoken  or  written,  and  we  must  be  merciful, 
too;  in  the  matter  of  the  stories  told  by  Dumas  ;  for 
he  was  a  famous  raconteur,  and  his  autobiographical 
writings  are  enriched  with  capital  anecdotes,  neatly 
told.  There  are  two,  however,  which  we  cannot 
bring  ourselves  to  omit.  One  is  of  j\I.  de  Sesmaisons, 
"  the  fattest  man  in  politics,"  who  was  so  stout  that 
he  found  it  necessary  when  he  travelled  to  reserve 
two  places  in  the  diligence  fur  himself.  On  one 
occasion  when  he  took  this  precaution,  he  discovered 


130  LIFE  AND   WRITINGS  OF 

that  his  man  had  booked  for  him  one  seat  in  the 
coupe  and  the  other  inside ! 

The  other  story  may  be  entitled  the  episode  of 
Colonel  Bro's  macaw.  Dumas  called  at  that  officer's 
house  one  day,  went  into  the  drawing-room  to  wait, 
and  seeing  a  yellow  red  and  blue  macaw  on  its 
perch,  he  went  up  to  it  familiarly  and  commenced 
to  scratch  its  head.  The  bird,  it  appeared,  was  in 
a  vile  temper  that  morning,  and  gave  the  unwelcome 
visitor  a  murderous  peck.  Dumas  withdrew  his 
finger,  staunched  the  blood,  and  then,  returning  to 
the  bird,  wrung  its  neck,  and  quiedy  put  the  body 
out  of  sifjht  under  some  of  the  furniture.  Later  on 
he  left  without  anything  having  been  noticed. 

Some  weeks  afterwards  Dumas  dined  with  Colonel 
Bro,  and  the  conversation  turned  on  natural  history. 
Reference  was  made  to  the  habits  of  elephants, 
who  kneel  to  say  their"  prayers,  and  get  out  of 
sight  to  die  secretly. 

"As  for  that  last  trait,"  said  the  Colonel's  .wife, 
"it  must  be  common  to  all  animals."  Then  turning 
to  Dumas  she  added,  "You  remember  my  beautiful 
blue  yellow  and  red  macaw  ?  " 

"  Perfectly.  Has  some  misfortune  happened  to 
it.?" 

"Alas!  the  poor  thing  is  dead, — and  would  you 
believe  it,  Monsieur  Dumas,  we  found  it  in  a  corner 
of  the  drawing-room,  under  the  couch  }    That  proves 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  131 

that  this  modesty  before  death  is  an  instinct  common 
to  all  animals  in  creation,  and  that  our  domestic 
parrots  have  it,  just  as  strongly  as  the  kings  of 
the  forest." 

Dumas  was-  duly  impressed. 

Take,  with  his  gaiety  and  wit,  Dumas's  vanity. 
Here  is  I\Ir  Lang's  opinion  of  the  worth  of  the 
reproach  :— 

"  They  call  Dumas  vain  :  he  had  reason  to  be 
vain,  and  no  candid  or  generous  reader  will  be 
shocked  by  his  pleasant,  frank,  and  artless  enjoy- 
ment of  himself  and  of  his  adventures.  Oddly 
enough,  they  are  small-minded  and  small-hearted 
people  who  are  most  shocked  by  what  they  call 
'  vanity '  in  the  great.  Dumas's  delight  in  himself 
and  his  doings  is  only  the  flower  of  his  vigorous 
existence,  and  in  his  '  Memoires,'  at  least,  it  is  as 
happy  and  encouraging  as  his  laugh,  or  the  laugh 
of  Porthos ;  it  is  a  kind  of  radiance,  in  which 
others,  too,  may  bask  and  enjoy  themselves.  And 
yet  it  is  resented  by  tiny  scribblers,  frozen  in  their 
own  chill  self-conceit." 

There  is  an  amusing  story  told  of  how  this  vanity 
was  very  neatly  snubbed  on  one  occasion.  Dumas 
was  giving  evidence  in  a  trial,  at  Rouen,  and  was 
asked  his  profession. 

"  I  should  say  '  dramatic  author,'  if  I  were  not 
in  the  city  of  Corneille,"  he  answered. 


132  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"  Oh,  M'sieu,"  replied  the  judge,  "  there  are 
degrees."  ... 

We  cannot  resist  quoting  here  how  Dumas  took 
his  revenge  on  the  Rouen  folk,  who  it  appears 
had  also  hissed  his  plays.  "One  day,"  he  says,  "a 
Neapolitan  boasted  to  me  of  having  hissed  Rossini 
and  Malibran,  the  '  Barbiere '  and  '  Desdemona.' 

"'That  must  be  true,'  I  answered,  'because 
Rossini  and  Malibran  boast,  on  their  part,  of 
having  been  hissed  by  the  Neapolitans.  So  I 
boast  of  being  hissed  by  the  Rouenese.  The 
Rouen  people,'  he  added,  '  hiss  me  because  they 
object  to  me.  Why  shouldn't  they  ?  They  objected 
to  Joan  of  Arc  ! '  " 

"Vanity,"  says  Villemessant,  "was  a  part  of  his 
talent ;  just  as  a  balloon  cannot  rise,  until  it  is 
filled  with  air."  "  The  public,"  adds  Du  Camp, 
"are  too  exacting:  they  expect  a  man  to  have 
every  talent  in  the  world,  and  not  to  know  it." 
Dumas's  artless  self-admiration  was  made  the  moral 
of  a  hundred  malicious  stories.  It  is  said  that  his 
son  remarked  of  him  :  "he  is  so  vain  that  he  would 
like  to  get  up  behind  his  own  coach  to  make 
people  think  he  owned  a  black  footman."  We 
have  not  traced  this  speech  to  its  source,  but  we 
shall  not  believe  that  Dumas  /i/s  said  it,  without 
the  strongest  proof  There  is,  however,  a  story 
told    by    Mr  W.    H.    Pollock,   which   is    more    pro- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  133 

bably  authentic,  beini;  in  better  taste  and  more 
spirituel. 

Dumas  pcre  is  supposed  to  have  written  to  his 
son,  as  to  a  stranger,  proposing  that  they  should 
collaborate.  (He  had  more  than  once  urged  his 
son  to  do  this,  adding,  "  it  would  bring  you  in 
40,000  or  50,000  francs  a  year, — you  would  only 
have  to  make  objections,  to  contradict  me  in  the 
subjects  I  proposed,  and  to  give  me  the  germs 
of  ideas  which  I  would  develop  without  your 
help.")  On  this  occasion  Dumas  fils  replied  that 
he  disliked  collaboration,  but  added,  "  I  am  the 
more  sorry  to  refuse  what  you  ask  me  because 
my  sympathies  are  naturally  enlisted  by  the  great 
admiration  which  you  have  always  expressed  for 
my  father's  works." 

"  He  believed  in  himself,  it  is  true,"  writes  Du 
Camp,  "and  it  was  quite  legitimate  for  him  to  do 
so  ;  but  he  believed  in  others,  too."  "  People  who 
complain  of  Dumas's  vanity,"  adds  Mr  Lang,  "  may 
be  requested  to  observe  that  he  seems  just  as  '  vain  ' 
of  Hugo's  successes,  or  of  Scribe's,  as  of  his  own, 
and  just  as  much  delighted  by  them.  Dumas  had 
no  jealousy,"  Mr  Lang  goes  on,  "  no  more  than 
Scott.  As  he  believed  in  no  success  without  talent, 
so  he  disbelieved  in  genius  which  wins  no  success. 
'  Je  ne  crois  pas  au  talent  ignor^,  au  genie  inconitu, 
moi'    Genius  he  saluted  wherever  he  met  it,  but  was 


134  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

incredulous  about   invisible   and   inaudible   genius." 
So    little   gall    had    Dumas  in    his  disposition   that 
he  found    ability    everywhere — he  praised  heartily, 
gladly.       His   good-nature   often   led   him   to   fancy 
that  there  was  talent  in  people  who  possessed  none. 

"  I  can't  make  out  what  Mallefille  lacks,  in  order 
to  be  a  man  of  talent,"  he  said  one  day. 

"  Perhaps  he  lacks  the  talent,"  some  one  sug- 
gested. 

"  By  Jove  !  That's  it !  I  never  thought  of  that  I  " 
answered  Dumas  ingenuously. 

With  all  his  failings — and  we  will  admit  them  in 
due  time — Dumas  had  one  splendid  quality  which 
mieht  well  outweig^h  a  host  of  sins  heavier  than  his. 
He  was  charity  itself.  His  was  indeed  "  a  voice  of 
comfort  and  an  open  hand  of  help."  "  He  was  like 
a  cornucopia,  shedding  bounty  peipctually  from  his 
outstretched  hands,"  says  Du  Camp.  "Half,  if 
not  more,  of  the  money  he  earned  he  gave  away." 
Another  great  writer  has  told  us  how  Dumas  would 
take  his  work  and  sit  by  the  dying,  would  tend 
them  and  help  them  in  their  need.  His  heart  was 
open  to  the  suffering,  his  purse  to  the  needy,  his 
house  to  the  homeless.  "  I  was  sick  and  ye  visited 
me."  We  can  fancy  the  Preacher  of  Galilee  would 
have  found  something  in  Alexandre  Dumas  which 
till"  world  never  saw. 

One  day,  when   Dumas   and   du   Chaffault  were 


ALJiXANDllE  DUMAS  135 

talking  together,  a  poor  Italian  was  shown  in,  beg- 
ging for  help.  The  author  was,  as  usual,  at  the  end 
of  his  resources,  but  that  did  not  check  his  charitable 
desire. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  I  am  no  richer  than  you 
are ;  I  have  nothing,  but  I  can  never  send  away 
with  empty  hands  a  man  who  is  in  want.  Take 
down  one  of  those  pistols  from  the  mantelpiece  ;  go 
and  sell  it,  and  leave  me  the  other  for  the  next  poor 
devil  that  the  good  God  may  send  to  me  for  relief." 

Theodore  de  Banville  tells  us  in  his  "  Souvenirs  " 
how  a  poor  starving  devil,  Montjoye  by  name,  was 
ready  to  take  his  life  in  despair,  when  the  thought 
of  Dumas  came  to  him  like  an  inspiration  from 
heaven.  He  found  the  great  man  deserted — all 
the  servants  had  gone  a-holidaying — but  the  host 
hurried  into  the  kitchen,  and  prepared  with  his  own 
hands  a  feast  for  the  gods,  for  this  stranger.  It  is  a 
pleasant  picture  that  the  poet  sets  before  us — the 
penniless  beggar  eating,  and  making  witty  remarks 
on  the  dishes  as  he  attacked  them,  and  Dumas 
beaminor  with  delioht  and  roarino-  with  laufrhter, 
as  he  heaped  the  strange  guest's  plate  with  good 
things. 

But  the  charity  which  gives  money  only  is  not 
complete  in  the  great  apostle's  sense,  and  happily 
Dumas  had  his  full  share  of  that  other  and  greater 
generosity.      Of  such  was  his  surprise  for  Maquet, 


136  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

on  the  first  night  of  the  "  Trois  Mousquetaires." 
Maquet  was  the  artisan  and  Dumas  the  artist  of 
that  collaboration,  and  the  henchman  had  no 
thought  of  any  public  acknowledgment  of  his  share 
of  the  work.  But  at  the  fall  of  the  curtain  Melingue, 
the  famous  "D'Artagnan"  came  forward  and  named 
"  Messieurs  Alexandre  Dumas  and  August  Maquet." 
Maquet  gave  a  cry  of  joy  and  pride,  and  fell  sobbing 
on  his  master's  neck. 

The  young  and  ambitious  author  always  found 
a  kind,  genial,  helpful  friend  in  Dumas.  One  day 
a  novice  came  to  ask  the  great  man  a  favour. 
Would  he  listen  to  a  play  in  verse?  Dumas, 
whose  time  was  golden,  nevertheless  good-naturedly 
agreed.  After  the  first  act  the  great  man  remarked 
thoughtlessly  : 

"My  boy,  your  verses  are  not  very  rich  in 
poetry."  ^ 

"  Not  rich  .  .  ."  the  young  man  exclaimed 
in  dismay,  letting  the  manuscript  fall  from  his 
hands. 

Dumas,  regretting  that  he  had  given  such  pain 
to  a  beginner,  picked  up  the  play  and  handed  it 
back  to  the  youth,  saying  hurriedly : 

"  Don't  be  discouraged  by  such  a  little  thing,  my 

^  The  word  "riche"  here  implies  a  certain  form  of  line-endinf^  in 
French  verse,  but  for  the  purposes  of  the  story  our  use  of  it  is  as 
appropriate,  and  more  comprehensible. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  137 

boy.  Your  lines  are  not  ricJi  in  thought,  it  is  true 
— but — but — they're  fairly  well  off!" 

Asseline,  one  of  the  staff  of  the  ill-fated  Mous- 
quetaire,  wrote  in  the  Indcpendance  Beige,  at  the 
time  that  his  old  master  was  dying,  a  loving 
appreciation  of  him,  in  which  he  recalled  a  character- 
istic incident  in  their  journalistic  relations.  Asseline 
was  writing  a  feuilleton  in  the  journal  and  was  at 
a  loss  to  know  how  to  tell  the  story  of  a  duel  which 
was  necessary  to  his  plot.  He  took  his  cares  to  the 
famous  editor,  who,  turning  from  his  own  work, 
cross-questioned  the  writer  on  his  plot,  characters, 
motives,  and  the  rest,  and  then,  having  rapidly 
grasped  the  situation,  sat  down  and  wrote  the 
chapter  himself.  Asseline  received  general  con- 
gratulations on  his  masterly  handling  of  the  duel 
scene,  but  Dumas  never  made  known  the  service 
which  he  had  rendered  his  pupil. 

There  was  a  truly  noble  generosity,  too,  in  his 
"confession,"  after  he  had  written  adverse  critiques 
on  plays  by  three  of  his  confix  res.  He  discovered, 
by  self-analysis,  that  it  was  personal  pique  which 
had  provoked  his  judgments  on  others,  and  not  a 
lofty  desire  to  defend  his  art.  He  cried  shame  on 
himself,  published  his  self-condemnation  to  the 
world,  and  wTote  no  more  criticisms.  "  What  I  had 
done,"  he  says,  "was  perhaps  good  from  the  point 
of  view  of  literature,  but  truly  it  was  by  no  means 


138  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

good  from  the  point  of  view  of  humanity,  and  the 
brotherhood  of  art." 

His  dehcacy  was  equal  to  his  kindness.  One 
day  he  found  an  old  friend  who  was  in  needy  cir- 
cumstances, and  bore  him  off  to  dinner.  As  they 
parted  the  host  said  casually  : 

"Thou  knowest,  old  comrade  —  I  expect  thee 
here  again  to-morrow." 

The  friend  came  aofain — and  for  ten  or  twelve 
years  dined  with  Dumas.  At  last,  overcome  with 
remorse  at  eating  the  bread  he  did  not  earn,  the 
guest  declared  that  he  must  make  some  return  for 
his  dinners,  or  he  would  not  come  again.  Dumas 
thouo^ht  a  moment. 

"  You  can  do  me  a  great  service,"  he  said  at 
length.  "  Go  to  the  Pont  Neuf  every  day  at  noon, 
and  note  the  temperature  of  the  Chevalier  ther- 
mometer for  me.  That  is  very  important,  in  con- 
nection with  the  receipts  at  the  theatre.  Will  you 
oblige  me } "  The  friend  agreed  delightedly,  and 
the  "  situation  was  saved."  Both  men  were  happy 
once  more. 

On  another  occasion  a  man  entered  the  "  master's  " 
room,  bep-orinof.  Dumas,  without  waitino-  to  hear 
of  his  particular  need,  drew  fifteen  francs  from  a 
drawer.  It  appeared  that  the  caller  was  collecting 
to  raise  funds  to  bury  a  huissier  (or  sheriff's  officer.) 

"To  bury  a  huissier  V  cried  Dumas,  who  knew 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  139 

those  gentry  only  too  well.  "Here  —  here  are 
another  fifteen  francs — go  and  bur)-  another !  " 

The  many  stories  which  are  told  of  Dumas's 
shifts  to  get  money,  and  of  his  prodigality;  are  some 
of  them  amusing,  but  most  of  them  untrustworthy. 
He  himself  was  conscious  of  his  failing,  but  was 
never  able  to  cure  himself  of  it.  "  When  my  hand 
closes  on  anything  it  can  grip,"  he  said  laughing, 
*'  anything  but  money.  Ah  !  money  is  so  smooth, 
't  slips  through  my  fingers  !  " 

One  evening  Dumas  promised  his  theatrical  com- 
pany a  bal  niasqiid,  followed  by  a  supper. 

"  Ah  ! "  cried  a  young  and  pert  actress,  "  and 
who  will  pay  }  " 

'' Par  bleu,  I  shall,"  answered  Dumas,  "shan't  I 
be  diso'uised  ?  " 

In  later  years,  when  the  struggle  to  keep  his 
revenue  up  to  his  expenditure  became  very  keen, 
Dumas  was  almost  as  great  at  borrowing  as  at 
giving,  and  showed  the  same  magnificent  careless- 
ness as  to  the  sequel.  Frequently  he  brought  his 
wit  to  the  service  of  his  needs,  as,  for  instance, 
when  Porcher,  who  had  advanced  Dumas  money  on 
the  prospects  of  his  first  play,  and  always  been  of 
service  to  the  dramatist  on  similar  occasions,  bees^ed 
the  great  man  to  "  tutoyer  "  him.  This  form  of  the 
second-person-singular  implies,  with  the  French, 
familiarity  in  friendliness. 


140  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"Very  good/'  answered  Dumas,  amused  at 
Porcher's  naive  request.  "  Wilt  thou  lend  me  fifty 
louis,  Porcher?" 

"  Nothing,"  says  Villemessant,  **  was  more  odious 
to  him  than  avarice,  which  was  entirely  repugnant 
to  his  own  nature."  Leaving  a  soiree  one  evening 
Dumas  found  himself  side  by  side  in  the  cloak- 
room with  an  archi-millionaire  who,  in  exchange  for 
his  paletot  gave  fifty  centimes  (fivepence)  to  the 
servant. 

The  writer,  blushing  with  shame  for  the  financier, 
drew  out  his  purse  and  threw  down  a  hundred-franc 
note. 

"  Pardon,  sir,  you  have  made  a  mistake,  I  think  ?  " 
said  the  lackey,  offering  to  return  the  note. 

"  No,  no,  friend,"  answered  Dumas,  casting  a  dis- 
dainful glance  at  the  millionaire ;  "  it  is  the  other 
cfentleman  who  has  made  the  mistake." 

But  Dumas's  extravagance,  so  far  as  his  own 
pleasure  and  glorification  were  concerned,  has  been 
much  exaggerated.  We  have  seen,  ourselves,  that 
the  palace  of  "  Monte  Cristo  "  was  neither  so  big, 
so  gaudy,  nor  so  costly  as  has  been  represented. 
Again,  Maxime  du  Camp  refutes  the  charge  that 
Dumas  lived  in  luxury  at  Naples,  declaring  thz^t 
the  great  man  worked  there  in  modest  rooms,  poorly 
furnished.  "  People,"  he  adds,  "  spread  false  reports 
because  slander  is  the  first  need  of  fools." 


ALEXANDl^E  DUMAS  141 

"  Thougli  for  forty  years,"  says  Vandam,  "  Alex- 
andre Dumas  could  not  have  earned  less  than  ^S,ooo 
per  annum  ;  though  he  neither  smoked,  drank,  nor 
gambled  ;  though  in  spite  of  his  mania  for  cooking, 
he  himself  was  the  most  frugal  eater — the  beef  from 
the  soup  of  the  previous  day,  grilled,  was  his 
favourite  dish  —  it  rained  writs  and  summonses 
around  him,  while  he  himself  was  frequently  without 
a  penny." 

No  wonder,  when  the  veriest  stranger  could  farm 
himself  upon  the  indulgent  host,  and  then  send  the 
cabman,  who  took  him  to  the  station,  back  to  the 
house  to  ask  for  the  fare !  Truly  Dumas  had  a 
right  to  say,  "If  I  have  been  a  spendthrift  / 
haven't  made  all  the  holes  in  my  purse ! " 

This  leads  us  to  a  delicate  topic,  with  which 
Blaze  de  Bury,  who  knew  Dumas  intimately,  deals 
in  this  fashion  : — 

"  There  are  no  parasites  worse  than  rapacious 
women,  and  to  these  Dumas  gave  way  as  long  as 
he  lived.  As  one  left  another  entered.  The  place 
was  never  empty,  and  the  disgraced  favourite, 
leavinof  one  evenlnof,  would  locate  herself  some- 
where  else  the  next  day,  carrying  all  sorts  of  things 
away  with  her,  even  to  furniture. 

"Take  all,"  cried  tlie  master,  looking  on  at  the 
dismantling;  "take  all,  but  for  heaven's  sake  leave 
me  at  least  my  genius  ! '  " 


142  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

In  the  matter  of  morals  it  is  impossible  to  judge 
Dumas  on  general  principles  and  by  ordinary 
standards,  and  still  more  unfair  to  let  British 
prejudice  distort  our  judgment.  His  lax  code  of 
virtue  in  this  respect  must  be  considered  simply  in 
connection  with  his  own  nature  and  training. 
Except  for  a  brief  period,  love  of  women  never 
played  the  important  and  disastrous  part  in  Dumas's 
life  which  it  did  in  the  case  of  so  many  of  his 
contemporaries,  like  De  Musset,  for  example. 
He  was  too  sane-minded  for  that.  But  his 
ardent,  semi-tropical  temperament  felt  the  over- 
whelming need  of  feminine  society  and  the 
sensuous  charms  which  fair  women  possess.  His 
gallantry,  good  nature,  and  artless  vanity  rendered 
him  a  prey  to  the  siren  type  of  womanhood ; 
although  we  have  ample  proof  that  he  could 
appreciate  the  higher  qualities  of  the  other  sex, 
as  witness  his  honest,  friendly  admiration  for 
Madame  de  Girardin  and  George  Sand,  and  the 
chivalric  way  in  which  (as  we  see  in  "  Une 
Aventure  dAmour "),  he  could  treat  a  young  and 
charming  woman  who  trusted  him  completely  and 
put  herself  under  the  protection  of  his  honour. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  love  of  Dumas  father  for 
Dumas  son.  They  were,  indeed,  the  complement  of 
each  other — "not  like  in  like,  but  like  in  difference." 

"  I  know  of  no  two  characters  more  opposite  than 


AT.KXANDRK  DUMAS  143 

Alexandre's  and  niinc,"  said  the  fatlicr  one  day, 
"  and  yet  they  go  together  excellently.  We 
certainly  have  some  very  good  times  when  we  are 
far  away  from  each  other,  but  I  fancy  we  are  never 
happier  than  when  we  are  together." 

They  loved  each  other  madly,  and  yet  lived  such 
different  lives  that  sometimes  they  entirely  lost 
sight  of  each  other.  At  these  periods,  if  the  old 
Uumas  saw  a  frier.d,  he  would  stop  his  carriage 
and  hold  out  his  hand,  asking  for  news  of  his  son  : 

"  What  has  become  of  Alexandre  ?  Do  you  ever 
see  him?  For  my  part  I  never  come  across  him, 
except  to  say  '  good-day '  when  I  meet  him  at 
funerals."  On  another  occasion  he  added  half- 
bitterly,  half-jestingly,  "  Perhaps  I  shan't  meet  him 
again  until  my  own  !  " 

The  passionate  love  between  Dumas  pcre  and 
Dumas  yf/s-  began  with  the  birth  of  the  one  and  did 
not  end  with  the  death  of  the  other.  Blaze  de 
Bury  tells  a  pretty  anecdote,  showing  how  deeply- 
rooted  was  this  feeling,  even  in  early  childhood  : — 

"  One  day  the  young  Alexandre  fell  from  the  top 
of  the  staircase.  The  accident  seemed  to  be  very 
serious  :  the  child  fainted,  and  the  mother,  thinking 
him  dead,  was  quite  overcome.  She  sent  at  once 
for  Dumas,  who  was  out  on  guard,  and  also  for  the 
doctor,  who  arrived  first.  The  child,  however,  had 
regained  consciousness,  but  he  was  very  pale  and 


144  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

faint,  and  when  the  father  saw  him  in  this  state  he 
fainted  too ! 

"  The  doctor  ordered  leeches,  but  the  child  re- 
sisted strongly.  The  father  implored  and  besought 
the  boy  to  obey,  vowing  before  God  that  it  should 
not  hurt  him,  to  which  the  child  replied,  '  Oh,  very 
well  then,  put  them  on  yourself,  and  then  I  will  let 
them  put  them  on  me  afterwards.'  Dumas  con- 
sented, and  put  the  leeches  in  the  hollow  of  his  left 
hand." 

After  the  first  natural  pang  of  jealousy  the  elder 
playwright  not  only  recognised,  but  acclaimed  his 
son's  dramatic  powers.^  At  the  "  first  night  "  of  one 
of  the  successful  plays  of  Dumas  Jils  the  proud 
father  wept  with  joy  and  happiness.  "  He  took  my 
hand,"  writes  Villemessant,  "saying,  'He  is  my 
best  work  ! '  "  Even  wittier  was  Dumas's  reply,  on 
a  similar  occasion,  to  a  friend  who  remarked  that 
the  play  was  so  good,  it  was  surprising  the  father 
had  no  share  in  it.  "  Oh,  but  I  had,"  said  the 
veteran  dramatist,  "the  author  is  by  me  !  " 

The  light-hearted  gaiety  of  the  father  and  the 
sardonic  gravity  of  the  son,  offered  a  contrast  too 
marked  to  be  missed  by  the  wits.      "  Alexandre  is 

^  The  latter  has  left  a  very  charming  account  of  his  father's  attitude 
towards  "  La  Dame  aux  Caiiielias."  He  did  not  think  it  would 
dramatise,  but  catching  the  guilty  youth  with  the  MS.  under  his  arm, 
he  insisted  on  hearing  it.  The  elder  dramatist  became  interested, 
absorbed,  moved,  delighted,  enraptured  ! 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  145 

Dumas yf/y,  but  you — you  are  not  Dumas /t'r^ — )0u 
never  will  be  !  "  said  "  the  Lady  of  the  Cam^Has " 
to  the  great  man.  "He  is  a  big  child  of  mine, 
born  when  I  was  quite  young,"  said  the  son.  Each 
seemed  to  provoke  wit  in  the  other.  The  elder  was 
one  day  dining  with  his  son,  who  had  taken  a  house 
where  the  trees  in  the  garden  quite  blocked  up  the 
light.  "  Open  your  windows,"  said  old  Dumas, 
"  and  let  your  garden  have  a  little  fresh  air !  " 

By  kindness  of  Madam  Dumas  Ji/s  we  are  en- 
abled to  add  two  "  documents  "  in  connection  with 
this  love  between  father  and  son.  The  first  is 
Dumas  pcres  formal,  yet  indignant,  protest  when 
the  censor  prohibited  his  son's  most  famous 
play  :— 

*'  I  declare,  on  my  honour,  and  on  my  literary 
experience,  that  '  La  Dame  aux  Camelias  '  forbidden 
by  that  stupid  institution  called  the  Censorship, 
is  an  essentially  moral  play,  and  I  have  a  right  to 
an  opinion  on  morality,  seeing  that  I  have  written 
700  volumes  which  might  safely  be  included  in  a 
school  library,  or  be  read  in  a  convent,  by  the  young 
girls. — Paris,  4th  October  1851. 

"  A.  Dumas. 

The  other  is  a  little  gem,  which  we  do  not  dare 
to  translate.  It  is  written  by  the  father  to  the  son, 
on  New  Year's  day  : — 


146  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

*'  MoN  Cher  Enfant, — Encore  un  an  de  plus 
que  je  t'aime,  encore  un  an  de  molns  a  t'aimer. 

"  Voila  le  cote  triste. 

"  Mais  en  attendant,  sans  calculer  ce  qui  nous  en 
reste,  aimons  nous  tant  que  nous  pourrons. — i*"" 
Janvier. — A  toi, 

'  ''  A.  Dumas." 

We  have  been  led  away  by  seductive  paths  into 
a  tardy  recognition  of  one  of  the  g-reat  facts  about 
our  author — his  energy.  Henley  tells  us  that  at 
times  he  wrote  for  sixteen  or  eighteen  hours  a  day ; 
and  it  is  quite  credible  in  the  case  of  a  physique  so 
magnificently  healthy,  and  a  brain  so  greedy  of 
work.  Yet,  until  his  final  decline,  the  great  writer 
never  suffered  from  this  abnormal  devotion  to  the 
desk,  except  in  one  way. 

"Dumas,"  says  Blaze  de  Bury,  "would  never 
rest  except  when  fatigued  ;  consequently  a  curious 
phenomenon  came  upon  him.  Almost  every  year 
a  fever  seized  him  for  two  or  three  days  ;  he  was 
not  simply  ill,  he  was  vanquished.  Knowing  this, 
he  went  to  bed,  and  dozed  there ;  from  time  to  time 
he  opened  his  eyes,  and  hastily  taking  up  the  glass 
of  lemonade  which  the  occasion  required,  he  drank 
it,  and  then  lay  back  with  his  face  to  the  wall,  and 
gave  himself  up  to  his  fever.  This  was  his  violent 
manner  of  takinof  rest.  The  crisis  lasted  about 
three  days,  at  the  end  of  which   Dumas  arose  and 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  147 

returned  to  work.  The  overtaxed  organs  had 
insisted  upon  a  halt." 

M.  Edmond  About  gives  an  interesting  account 
which  describes  Dumas's  method  of  working.  "  I 
can  still  see  on  our  hotel  table,"  he  says,  "the  first 
draft  of  the  '  Compagnons  de  Jehu.'  It  was  a  thick 
pile  of  school-paper,  cut  in  four,  and  covered  witli 
a  neat  little  writin^j  —  an  excellent  rou^^h  sketch 
drawn  up  by  a  skilled  assistant  according  to  the 
master's  original  design.  Dumas  worked  at  it  in 
his  own  manner — scattering  wit  broadcast  through 
the  pages  as  he  wrote,  each  little  slip  of  white 
(?  pasted)  on  a  great  sheet  of  blue." 

If  it  can  be  truly  said  of  Dumas  that  "panting 
Time  toiled  after  him  in  vain,"  it  is  just  as  true  that 
he  was  ever  toilino-  in  the  arrears  of  his  own  work — 
ever  striving  to  keep  pace  with  the  demand  for 
copy.  "  To  be  continued  in  our  next " — it  was  the 
slave's  warning  cry  at  the  classic  feast.  In  his 
amusing  preface  to  Grisier's  "Arms  and  the  Duel," 
Dumas  confesses  that  there  were  certain  extra- 
ordinary pledges  which  he  could  not  fulfil  unless 
forcibly  detached  from  his  regular  work.  This 
pressure  on  his  time,  coupled  with  a  dislike  of 
ridicule,  made  him,  like  Balzac,  shun  his  days  in 
uniform,  on  duty  as  a  National  guard,  and  accord- 
ingly the  hours  of  "  guard-room  "  imprisonment  due 
from  him  mounted  up  enormously.      Monpeou   the 


148  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

composer,  struggling  vainly  to  get  from  the  busy 
writer  an  opera-comique  libretto  which  our  good- 
natured  author  had  undertaken  to  do,  heard  of  the 
facts  of  the  case.  He  learnt,  moreover,  that  Dumas 
was  dodging  his  military  pursuers  by  sleeping  in 
different  houses,  entering  by  side-doors,  and  depart- 
ing by  windows,  "  as  if  he  wanted  to  be  a  fairy,  and 
was  rehearsing  the  part."  Monpeou,  for  his  own 
base  ends,  "gave  information  which  led  to  the 
capture  of  the  criminal."  (It  appeared  that  Dumas 
had  aggravated  his  offence  by  an  answer  which  he 
gave  to  a  superior  officer — one  of  his  own  trades- 
men ! — who,  with  more  feeling  than  culture,  declared 
that  it  was  very  "painible  and  terrible"  for  him  to 
be  obliged  to  arrest  Dumas  ;  to  which  that  gentle- 
man promptly  replied,  "  Do  you  think  it  wouldn't 
be  painful  and  terriful  to  me  to  go  ?  ")  Monpeou 
begged  that  Dumas  should  have  a  private  room  to 
work  in,  and  a  piano,  and  when  the  prisoner  arrived 
to  undergo  his  punishment  he  found  the  traitorous 
musician  busy  composing  the  overture  to  the  comic 
opera  !     The  result  was  "  Piquillo." 

One  last  touch  to  complete  the  picture  of  "Dumas 
at  work,"  not  forgetting  the  invariable  companion 
of  his  labours — the  tea  of  which  he  drank  such 
inordinate  quantities.  Mr  Albert  Vandam,  in  his 
"  Englishman  in  Paris,"  describes  a  call  which  he 
made  on  his  friend   Dumas. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  149 

"  '  Is  Monsieur  at  home  ?  '  I  said  to  the  servant. 

"  *  He  is  in  his  study,  Monsieur,'  was  the  answer ; 
*  Monsieur  can  go  in.' 

"At  that  moment  I  heard  a  loud  burst  of  laughter 
from  the  inner  apartment,  so  I  said  : 

"  '  I  would  rather  wait  until  Monsieur's  visitors 
are  gone.' 

"  '  Monsieur  has  no  visitors  ;  he  is  working,' 
remarked  the  servant  with  a  smile.  '  Monsieur 
Dumas  often  laughs  like  that,  at  his  work.' 

"  It  was  true  enough ;  the  novelist  was  alone,  or 
rather  in  company  with  one  of  his  characters,  at 
whose  sallies  he  was  simply  roaring." 

That  Dumas  lived  to  work  rather  than  worked  to 
live,  is  obvious  to  all  who  read  of  his  astonishinnf 
fertility,  and  devotion  to  his  desk.  M.  de  Bury 
quotes  a  passage  from  our  author,  in  which  he 
showed  himself  doubly  indebted  to  his  books — for 
the  pleasure  they  brought  in  the  writing  and  the 
memories  they  evoked,  in  the  re-reading. 

"  '  I  am  never  alone  as  long  as  one  of  my  books  is 
near  me,'  he  says,  in  a  passage  full  of  a  deep  and 
delightful  emotion,  which  was  not  always  usual  with 
him.  '  Every  line  recalls  to  me  a  day  that  has 
passed  away,  and  this  day  is  once  more  with  me, 
filled  from  dawn  to  dusk  with  all  the  old  atmosphere 
and  all  the  same  people  who  were  there,  in  the  days 
gone  by.      Alas !  already  the  best  part  of  my  life  is 


150  LIFE  AND  WRITINIiS  OF 

in  my  memories ;  I  am  like  one  of  those  trees, 
crowned  with  bushy  foliage,  which  at  noon  is  full  of 
silent  birds,  that  wake  up  towards  the  close  of  the 
day.  Then,  when  evening  has  come,  they  will  fill 
my  old  age  with  the  beating  of  wings  and  with 
songs  ;  with  their  joy,  their  loves,  and  their  clamour 
they  will  enliven  it  until  death,  in  its  turn,  lays  its 
hand  upon  their  hospitable  home ;  and  the  tree,  in 
falling,  frightens  away  all  these  merry  singers,  of 
which  each  is  simply  an  hour  of  my  life.'  " 

It  is  this  man  whom  most  of  his  critics  denounced 
as  an  idler!  In  his  boyhood,  the  peasants,  with 
more  reason  and  less  malice,  said  the  same  of  him. 
He  tells  us  as  much,  and  overhears  in  imagination 
the  neighbours  shaking  their  heads  over  him, 
muttering  : — 

"See  the  idler;  he  prefers  rambling  along  the 
hio^h-roads  to  oroinor  to  colleofe.  He  will  never  do 
anything ! " 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  have  done  much,"  comments 
our  author,  "  but  I  know  that  I  have  worked  deuced 
hard  since  then  !  " 

"Truly,  this  work  has  had  no  brilliant  result;  I 
should  have  done  better,  I  believe,  instead  of  piling 
up  volume  on  volume,  if  I  had  bought  a  corner  of 
land,  and  put  pebble  upon  pebble,  there.  At  any 
rate  I  should  have  had  a  house  of  my  own,  to-day." 

"  Bah  !  Have  I  not  the  house  of  the  good  God — 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  151 

the  fields,  the  air,  the  wide  world  and  nature — 
which  are  denied  to  those  who  do  not  possess  the 
power  of  seeing  what  I   see  ?  " 

The  most  striking-,  most  intuitive  intellectual 
quality  which  Dumas  possessed  was  what  is  known 
as  the  "dramatic  instinct."  He  seems  from  the 
first  to  have  seen  life  from  the  vivid,  picturesque 
point  of  view.  As  a  lad,  ignorant  of  the  stage,  and 
collaborating  with  much  more  experienced  men,  his 
"cockney  sportsman"  was  the  successful  feature  of 
"  La  Chasse  et  T Amour,"  the  first  piece  performed 
in  which  he  had  any  share. 

His  method  of  jDreparing  his  plays  was  interesting 
and  characteristic. 

"When  I  am  engaged  upon  a  work  which 
occupies  all  my  thoughts,"  he  says,  "  I  feel  the  need 
of  narrating  it  aloud  ;  in  reciting  thus  I  invent ;  and 
at  the  end  of  one  or  other  of  these  narrations  I  find 
some  fine  morning  that  the  play  is  completed.  But 
it  often  happens  that  this  method  of  working — that 
is  to  say,  not  beginning  a  piece  until  I  have  finished 
the  plot — is  a  very  slow  one.  In  this  way  I  kept 
'  Mademoiselle  de  Belle-Isle '  in  my  head  for  nearly 
five  years." 

We  may  add  that  finally  the  piece  was  not  read, 
but  described  to  the  committee  of  the  Comedie 
Francaise,  and  at  the  end  of  Dumas's  vivid  recital, 
was  accepted  by  acclamation !     The  fact  was,  it  was 


152  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

already  composed;   it  only  required  to  be  set  on 
paper. 

An  anecdote  told  in  connection  with  the  drama- 
tised version  of  the  "  Trois  Mousquetaires  "  shows 
how  thoroughly  Dumas  knew  his  public,  and  trusted 
his  natural  critics. 

"  Behind  one  of  the  scenes,"  says  Dumas  fils, 
"we  had  seen  the  helmet  of  a  fireman,  who  listened 
to  the  play  very  attentively  during  the  first  six 
tableaux.  In  the  middle  of  the  seventh,  however, 
the  helmet  disappeared." 

" '  Do  you  see  that  fireman's  helmet  ? '  asked  my 
father. 

*'  *  No,  it's  not  there  now.' 

"  After  the  act  the  author  went  in  search  of  the 
fireman  (who  did  not  know  him)  and  said  : 

" '  Why  are  you  no  longer  listening  to  the 
piece  } ' 

"  '  Because  that  act  didn't  interest  me  as  much  as 
the  others.' 

"  This  reply  was  enough  for  my  father  ;  he  went 
straieht  to  the  office  of  Director  Beraud  ;  he  took  off 
his  frockcoat,  his  tie,  his  waistcoat,  his  braces,  opened 
the  collar  of  his  shirt,  just  as  he  did  when  he  sat 
down  to  work  at  home,  and  asked  for  the  copy  of 
the  seventh  tableau.  It  was  given  to  him,  and  he 
tore  it  up  and  threw  it  into  the  fire." 

"  '  What  on  earth  are  you  doing  ?  '  cried  Beraud. 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  153 

"  '  It  didn't  amuse  the  fireman  :  I  have  destroyed 
it.     But  I  see  exactly  what  it  wants.' 

"  And  he  rewrote  it,  there  and  then." 

The  day  before  the  production  of  his  comedy 
"  Hahfax,"  at  the  dress-rehearsal,  Dumas  decided 
that  the  piece  needed  a  prologue.  He  told  the 
actors  that  if  they  would  learn  the  parts  straightway, 
he  would  write  it.  They  were  willing  :  the  pro- 
logue was  written,  learnt,  and  acted  in  twenty-four 
hours.  *' Read  it,"  says  Blaze  de  Bury,  "it  is  a 
gem ! " 

Dumas  and  Rossini  were  present  at  the  first  night 
of  a  play  called  "  La  Jeune  Vieillesse."  The  piece 
was  a  shocking  failure,  and  as  it  proceeded  dolor- 
ously, to  the  tune  of  laughter  and  hisses,  Dumas 
muttered  "What  a  fool  the  man  is!  He  has  eone 
right  past  a  splendid  subject!  I'll  make  a  note  of 
it."  And  from  this  germ  grew  "  Le  Comte  Her- 
mann," one  of  the  most  notable  of  its  author's  later 
plays. 

Whenever  he  felt  his  dramatic  enerofles  flaarsrino-, 
he  tells  us,  he  opened  Schiller  or  Shakespeare  at 
random,  to  refresh  and  revive  his  powers  by  reading. 
But  the  slightest  opportunity  or  impulse  was  sufficient 
to  arouse  the  creative  faculty  and  set  it  in  action. 

One  day  Dumas  had  been  out  shooting  since  six 
in  the  morning,  and  had  killed  twenty-nine  birds. 

"I'll  just  make  it  thirty,"  he  said,  "then   I'll  go 


154  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

away  and  have  a  good  sleep ;  I'm  tired,  I've  done 
enough." 

"He  brought  down  his  thirtieth  partridge,"  says 
Blaze  de  Bury,  "  and  we  saw  him  making  his  way 
towards  the  farm.  When  we  returned  at  five 
o'clock,  he  was  sitting  before  the  fire  in  the  kitchen, 
gazing  at  the  flames  and  twirling  his  thumbs. 

"  '  Whatever  are  you  doing  there  ? '  asked  his  son. 

"  '  As  you  see,  I  am  resting,' 

"  '  Have  you  had  any  sleep  ?  ' 

"  *  No,  impossible  !  There  is  such  an  abominable 
uproar  in  this  farm, — sheep,  cows,  labourers,— it's 
impossible  to  close  one's  eyes.' 

" '  Then  all  this  time  you've  been  twirling  your 
thumbs  ? ' 

" '  No,  I  have  written  a  play  in  one  act.* 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact  he  had  just  written  '  Romu- 
lus,' which  he  amused  himself  by  getting  Regnier  to 
read  at  the  Comedie  Frangaise  as  being  by  '  a  young, 
unknown  writer.'  It  was  accepted  with  unanimity." 
(The  version  which  Dumas  himself  gives  in  "  Bric-a- 
brac  "  of  the  origin  of  this  play  differs  only  in  un- 
important details  from  his  friend's  account.) 

The  father's  analysis  of  the  son's  play  "  La 
Dame  aux  Camelias  "  shows  his  knowledge  of  stage- 
craft in  a  striking^  liLrht.  The  elder  Dumas  added 
to  his  criticism  his  opinion  that  the  courtesan  on 
whose   career   the   play  and   book  were  based,  was 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  155 

immoral  by  heredity.  Subsequent  research  proved 
the  soundness  of  this  deduction. 

Dumas's  talent  was  not  confined  to  exertions  on 
his  own  behalf.  "  How  often,"  says  Blaze  dc  Bury, 
"  has  he  served  as  the  anonymous  collaborator  of 
his  confreres  !  ^  I  have  seen  him  thus  deny  himself 
any  credit  for  a  score  of  plays  which  have  been 
signed  with  other  names,  but  of  which  he  had  written 
two-thirds."  In  one  case  a  friend  broucrht  Dumas  a 
play  which  had  been  sent  back  from  a  theatre  to  be 
cut  down,  as  they  considered  it  too  long.  The  great 
man  read  the  piece,  which  was  a  short  one,  and  told 
his  friend  that  far  from  being  too  long,  it  was  not  long 
enough.  He  pointed  out  how  the  theme  should  be 
developed  and  extended,  and  made  into  a  full-sized 
play.  The  author  followed  the  advice  he  had  re- 
ceived ;  and  the  piece  thus  remodelled  was  duly 
accepted  and  performed. 

But  "  the  dramatic  instinct "  is  not  without  its 
disadvantages,  as  Dumas  has  amusingly  shown. 

"  At  a  first  night,"  he  mourns,  "  I  am  the  worst 
spectator  in  the  world.  If  it  is  an  imaginative  piece 
that  is  being  played,  the  characters  have  scarcely 
appeared  before  they  are  no  longer  the  author's,  but 
mine.  In  the  first  entracte  I  take  them;  I  ap- 
propriate them.  Instead  of  their  unknown  future 
of  the  next  four  acts,  I  introduce  them  into  four  of 

^  See  the  "Theatre  Inconnu  d'A.  Dumas, /tvr,"  by  Glinel. 


156  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

my  own  composition  ;  I  enter  into  their  characters, 
I  utilise  their  originaHty.  If  the  interval  lasts  only 
ten  minutes,  it  is  more  than  I  require  to  build  for 
them  the  house  of  cards  in  which  I  instal  them,  and 
my  own  particular  paste-board  house  is  scarcely  ever 
the  same  as  the  author's.  With  historical  pieces  it 
is  much  worse.  I  bring  my  play,  of  course,  built 
upon  the  title,  and  as  it  is  written  with  all  my  natural 
defects — that  is  to  say,  with  abundance  of  details, 
absolute  rigidity  of  characters,  and  double,  triple, 
quadruple  intrigue  —  it  is  very  seldom  that  my 
play  resembles  in  the  least  the  one  which  is  being 
played.  This  is  a  real  trouble  to  me,  although  to 
other  people  it  is  a  source  of  amusement." 

The  grreat  romancer's  frank  confession  as  to  his 
lack  of  education  as  a  youth  has  prompted  his 
detractors  to  pronounce  him  ignorant.  They  pre- 
tend that  the  author  of  "  Antony  "  wished  to  destroy 
the  fame  of  Corneille  and  Racine  ;  because  Dumas's 
sentiments  towara^  the  two  national  poets  was  a 
discriminating  admiration  rather  than  blind  worship. 
In  reality  he  admired  the  highest  in  literature; 
and  as  a  rule  instinctively  recognised  it,  and 
judiciously  proclaimed  it.  We  know  him  as  yield- 
ing to  no  Frenchman,  not  even  Hugo,  in  his 
veneration  for  Shakespeare ;  Andrew  Lang,  no 
mean  authority,  testifies  to  Dumas's  sound  ap- 
preciation   of  the   greatness    of    Homer;    and    this 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  157 

passage  in  the  "  Memoires  "  gives  the  He  to  many 
jeers  directed  against  the  "great  low  -  comedian  " 
as  his  foes  called  him  : 

"  Bad  Latin  scholar  as  I  am,  I  have  always 
adored  Virgil ;  his  compassion  for  the  wandering 
exiles,  his  solemn  pictures  of  death,  his  intuition  of 
an  unknown  God,  touched  my  heart  supremely  from 
the  first ;  the  melody  of  his  verses  .  .  .  had  an 
especial  charm  for  me,  and  I  knew  by  heart  whole 
passages  of  the  'yEneid.'"  Unlike  most  scholars 
Dumas  studied  with  enthusiasm,  and  he  never 
forgot. 

"  Partly  by  diligence,  partly  by  divination,  Dumas 
had  great  knowledge,"  says  M.  de  Bury.  "  Having 
received  no  early  education,  he  set  himself  deliber- 
ately to  repair  the  misfortune,  filling  in  the  gap  by 
the  thousand  ideas  which  he  gathered  daily  from 
conversation,  from  travel  and  from  reading. 
History,  travels,  natural  history,  foreign  literature 
— he  read  all,  from  the  "Ramayana"  to  Shake- 
speare, Goethe,  Schiller,  Thackeray,  Dickens, 
Cooper,  Scott,  his  admiration  of  literature  ever 
increasing.  Hugo  delighted  without  influencing 
him,  but  Balzac  had  little  attraction  for  Dumas, 
who  didn't  see  human  nature  from  that  point  of 
view." 

As  will  readily  be  understood,  the  great  realist 
and  the  great  romanticist  were  at  opposite  poles  of 


158  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  literary  sphere.  On  one  occasion  these  ex- 
tremes did  meet,  being  invited  by  a  well-meaning 
friend,  but  the  result  was  not  happy.  Balzac  had 
spoken  contemptuously  of  his  rival  in  popularity 
as  "a  nigger,"  and  Dumas  was  not  disposed  to 
forget  it.  It  was  a  Quaker's  meeting,  for  neither 
guest  spoke  until  they  were  both  leaving.  Then 
alzac  said  : 

"When  I  am  written  out,  I'll  take  to  writing 
dramas." 

And  Dumas  replied — 

"  You'd  better  begin  at  once,  then." 

And  they  parted.  Yet  Balzac  saw  that  Dumas, 
like  George  Sand,  had  none  of  the  low  jealousy  and 
littlenesses  which  obscured  so  many  contemporary 
talents,  and  Dumas,  who  always  wrote  with  ap- 
preciation of  Balzac's  talents,  followed  his  coffin 
to  the  sfrave  when  the  author  of  "  Pere  Goriot  "  died 
in  1850. 

A  still  greater  bete-noire  of  Dumas's  was  Buloz, 
the  editor  of  the  Revue  des  Deux  Afondes,  for  which 
periodical  the  "  Isabel  de  Baviere "  chroniques 
were  written.  The  pair  had  quarrelled  over  the 
production  of  "  Caligula "  at  the  Comedie  Fran- 
^aise,  for  at  that  time  Buloz  was  commissary  of 
the  national  theatre.  For  some  months  afterward 
Dumas,  who  was  witty  even  in  his  dislikes,  "  em- 
broidered "    his    correspondence    with    varying    but 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  159 

consistently  uncomplimentary   references    to   Buloz. 
For  instance,  he  would  address  a  letter 
"To 

"  M , 

"  Havre, 
"Sixty  kilometres  from  that  idiot  of  a  Buloz." 
Or  again,  would  begin  a  letter : — 

"  My  dear  Porcher, — You,  who  are  in  every 
respect  superior  to  that  idiot,   Buloz."  .  .   . 

There  was  a  third  exception  to  Dumas's  general 
"  friendly  relations  with  all  the  other  powers." 
This  was  M.  Jules  Lecomte,  and  the  circumstances 
of  the  case  are  worth  recording,  as  beinof  "sio- 
nificant  of  many  things."  Lecomte,  when  a  young 
man,  was  recommended  to  Dumas  by  a  mutual 
friend,  and  the  author  of  course  opened  his  house 
to  the  poor  and  friendless  fugitive.  In  return  for 
this  kindness  Lecomte  ordered  costly  clothes,  and 
left  his  host  to  pay  the  bill,  sponged  on  the  generous 
author  in  various  ways,  and  finally  disgusted  him 
altogether  by  masquerading  as  Alfred  de  Musset, 
also  at  his  benefactor's  expense.  Further,  Le- 
comte, under  a  pseudonym,  sent  to  Paris  by  way 
of  Brussels  articles  containing  references  to  Dumas 
and  Ida  Ferrier  which  were  not  in  the  best  of 
taste. 

When  the  great  man  was  staying  in  Florence, 
Lecomte  had  the  impudence  to  call  once  more  on 


160         LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

his  old  host.  The  authorities  had  required  some  par- 
ticulars concerning  Lecomte,  and  he  had  given  them 
Dumas's  name  as  a  reference.  The  novelist  duly 
furnished  the  officials  with  such  facts  about  the 
gentleman  in  question  that  he  was  ordered  to 
leave  the  city  at  once.  Then  the  other,  foreseeing 
a  public  disturbance,  armed  himself  with  a  stout 
cane. 

The  precaution  was  a  wise  one.  As  the  ro- 
mancer was  standing  by  the  door  of  a  carriage, 
chatting  with  a  lady  friend,  in  a  public  avenue 
one  day,  Lecomte,  accompanied  by  a  "  backer," 
strode  up,  and  without  a  word  of  warning  struck 
at  his  old  patron.  Dumas  parried  the  blow,  and 
cut  the  rogue  across  the  face  with  his  cane.  Then, 
turning  to  his  assailant's  "  second,"  one  Prince 
Korsakoff,  he  declared  that  he  would  not  cross 
swords  with  a  creature  like  Lecomte,  but  would 
willingly  meet  the  Prince,  if  he  chose  to  take  up 
his  companion's  quarrel. 

Korsakoff  at  once  accepted,  but  before  the  duel 
came  about  he  wrote  to  Dumas  stating  that  he  had 
heard  certain  truths  about  M.  Lecomte,  and  now 
refused  either  to  fight  for  him  or  to  continue  his 
acquaintance. 

There  are  several  morals  to  this  incident,  which 
have  their  bearing  on  Dumas's  success — and  failure 
— in  life. 


AT.EXANDIIK  DUMAS  IGl 

As  a  rule,  liowcvcr,  the  great  writer  was  not  a 
good  hater,  and  bore  litde  malice.  Meeting  one  day 
a  critic  who  had  abused  him,  he  stepped  up  to  him, 
saying,  "  Hein !  What  a  splendid  article  I  have 
provided  you  with!"  It  is  true  that  the  persistent 
shout  of  "  Collaborators  !  collaborators  !  "  annoyed 
him.  Once,  after  keeping  a  company  of  friends 
roaring  at  his  witty  sayings,  Dumas  added,  "  You 
find  the  jest  a  good  one  ?  Well,  to-morrow  one  of 
my  collaborators  will  swear  it's  his !  " 

Our  author  has  expressed  his  opinion  of  col- 
laboration in  general,  in  his  "  Souvenirs  drama- 
tiques."  The  passage  is  written  in  his  most 
vivacious  style.  But  for  Fiorentino,  one  of  the 
many  young  men  he  befriended,  and  one  of  his 
best  "  'prentices,"  Dumas  had  a  very  real  affection. 

One  day  the  master  begged  his  secretary  to 
take  a  letter  to  Fiorentino  and  wait  for  a  reply. 
An  hour  after,  the  secretary  returned  with  a  letter 
from  the  ex-'prentice,  then  critic  of  the  Consti- 
tutioiinel  and  the  Mofiiteur.      Dumas  opened  it : 

"  Here  is  a  man  whom  I  have  rescued  from 
misery,"  he  cried,  "and  whom  I  have  taught  his 
trade.  Well ! — would  anyone  believe  it  } — when  at 
odd  times  I  ask  him  to  do  me  a  service  ...  he 
never  refuses  me  !  " 

It  is  a  proof  of  the  many-sided  nature  of  Dumas 's 
genius   that   he   was   at   once    the    rival    of   Balzac, 


162  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Scribe,  and  Hugo.  Towards  Scribe  his  attitude 
was  one  of  admiration,  mingled  with  a  httle  good- 
natured  tolerance — the  smile  of  the  gay  grasshopper, 
as  he  watched  the  industrious  ant  toiling  through  a 
hot  summer's  day  to  get  in  his  winter  stock.  The 
one  had  talent  and  amassed  a  fortune ;  the  other 
had  genius,  made  half  a  dozen  fortunes,  and  died 
poor. 

•With  the  bulk  of  his  fellow-writers  Dumas  was 
on  excellent  terms,  and  numbered  amongst  his 
friends  Chateaubriand,  Lamartine,  Lafayette,  George 
Sand,  Rossini,  Hugo,  De  Musset,  Heine,  Soulie, 
Beranger,  Merimee,  and  Nodier,  With  Janin,  it 
is  true,  he  engaged  in  a  wordy  duel  over  "  Les, 
Demoiselles  de  St  Cyr."  ^  Mr  Swinburne  thinks 
that  one  of  the  poems  in  "  Toute  la  Lyre "  was 
addressed  by  Hugo  to  his  two  friends,  suggesting 
reconciliation.  We  have  seen  that  Dumas  and 
Janin  were  on  good  terms  again  in  1849,  and  at 
the  former's  death  the  latter  wrote  a  little  "  appre- 
ciation "  of  him,  full  of  sincere  affection  and 
admiration. 

We  have  mentioned  Victor  Hugo,  and  the  friend- 
ship between  these  two  men,  so  strangely  unlike 
in  character,  played  an  important  part  in   Dumas's 

^  The  pair  even  met  on  the  "field  of  honour."  Janin  would  not 
fight  with  swords  (so  the  story  went)  because  he  knew  an  infallible 
thrust  ;  Dumas  refused  pistols  because  he  could  kill  a  fly  at  forty 
paces.     So  the  foes  embraced  ! 


ALEXANDRE  DUINIAS  163 

life,  although  the  genius  of  each  was  quite  un- 
affected by  his  admiration  and  affection  for  his 
confrere.  It  is  true  that  the  plays  of  one  suggested 
ideas  to  the  other,  but  the  influence  went  no  deeper. 
Dumas  first  met  Hugo  about  the  time  of  the  pro- 
duction of  "Henri  Trois," — in  a  show  on  the 
Boulevard  du  Temple,  he  tells  us! — and  Hugo 
invited  his  new  acquaintance  to  attend  the  private 
reading  of  "  Marion  Delorme."  The  two  young 
"  Romantics  "  became  instant  friends,  and  Dumas 
never  wearied  of  singing  the  praises  of  the  poet,  who 
on  his  part,  although  of  a  less  demonstrative  nature, 
seems  to  have  remained  a  loyal  friend  throughout. 

We  have  referred  to  Dumas's  eulogy  of  "  Marion 
Delorme,"  and  Hugo's  noble  championship  of  his 
comrade,  on  the  occasion  when  the  Legion  of 
Honour  was  conferred  on  him  and  then  with- 
drawn. Unfortunately,  a  bitter  attack  on  Dumas, 
written  by  Granier  de  Cassagnac,  appeared  in  1833, 
ao-ainst  Hueo's  wishes,  in  a  journal  with  which  the 
poet  was  known  to  be  connected.  An  attempt 
was  made  by  ill-advised  partisans  to  set  the  rival 
dramatists  in  opposition  to  each  other.  It  may 
have  been  this  which  caused  the  coolness  to  exist 
between  the  two  friends  in  1837-8,  but  in  the  latter 
year  Madame  Dumas  died,  and  her  sorrowing  son 
forgot  the  old  enmity  and  invited  Hugo  to  the 
funeral.     This  was  the  poet's  reply  : 


164  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"  I  could  have  wished  a  less  mournful  reason  for 
clasping  your  hand  once  more.  You  will  see  me 
to-morrow,  and  with  the  first  glance  which  we  ex- 
change, you  will  know  that  you  did  wrong  ever  to 
doubt  me. 

"  You  were  right  in  counting  on  me.  It  is  a 
return  to  a  state  of  noble  trust  worthy  of  you,  and 

me. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  after  the  coup  dMat 
Huofo  went  into  exile.  The  other  soon  followed  his 
friend  to  Brussels,  and  we  have  already  spoken  of 
their  intimacy  during  this  period.  On  his  return 
to  Paris,  Dumas  proclaimed  his  admiration  for 
Hugo  in  the  very  first  number  of  his  Mousque- 
tai7'e  —  a  bold  thing  to  do,  when  one  remembers 
that  the  author  of  "  The  History  of  a  Crime  "  was 
anathema  to  the  soul  of  "  Napoleon  the  Little." 
The  following  year  our  author  dedicated  his  play 
of  "La  Conscience"  to  Hugo  as  "a  proof  of  a 
friendship  which  has  survived  exile,  and  which 
will,  I  hope,  outlive  even  death."  The  compli- 
ment is  acknowledged  in  the  fifth  book  of  the  poet's 
"  Contemplations,"  in  which  Hugo  recalls  their 
parting  on   the   quay  at  Antwerp,   and  adds  : 

"  Tu  rentras  dans  ton  ceuvre,  eclatante,  innombrable, 
Multiple  dblouissante,  heureuse  ou  le  jour  luit, 
Et  moi  dans  Funite  sinistra  de  la  nuit." 

When  Mademoiselle  Augustine  Brohan  attacked 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  165 

the  exiled  poet  in  the  press,  Dumas  wrote  to  the 
Comedie  Franqaise  to  demand  that  the  actress  who 
had  insulted  his  friend  should  not  be  allowed  to 
play  in  his  comedies  in  the  future.  Hugo  in  writini; 
to  thank  his  comrade  for  his  loyalty,  added,  "  I  feel  I 
must  write  to  tell  you  that  I  love  you  more  every 
day,  not  only  because  you  are  one  of  the  wonders  of 
the  century,  but  because  you  are  one  of  its  con- 
solations." The  letter  ended  with  an  urgent  in- 
vitation to  visit  the  poet  at  Guernsey.  Dumas 
duly  journeyed  to  see  the  exile  (in  1S57),  an  act 
on  which  Charles  Hugo  comments  admiringly.  It 
was  not  only  brave  of  him  (he  says),  it  was  thought- 
ful.    The    bond    between    the    two    o^reat    men   re- 

o 

mained  unbroken  till  the  end,  and  Hugo  wrote  to 
the  younger  Dumas  on  the  occasion  of  his  father's 
death  one  of  his  characteristically  noble  and  tender 
letters. 

With  all  his  defects  of  training  and  his  semi- 
plebeian  birth,  Dumas  was  a  man  of  taste.  Pictures, 
music,  bric-a-brac,  ancient  art  in  sculpture  and 
design,  all  that  was  best  in  the  artistic  sense,  ap- 
pealed to  him.  His  admiration  for  architecture  was 
real  and  ardent,  and  when  during  his  travels  in  La 
Vendee  he  visited  the  cathedral  at  Angers,  and 
found  an  architect  busy  "  restoring  "  the  church — by 
scraping  it  .'—his  comment  was  severe  in  spite  of  its 
wit.      "Alas,  it  takes  twenty-five  years  to  make  a 


166  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

man  :  a  Swiss  mercenary  in  the  royalist  pay  shoots 
him,  and  he  dies.  It  takes  six  or  eight  centuries  to 
*  colour '  a  cathedral  :  an  architect  with  '  taste ' 
comes  on  the  scene,  and  scrapes  it!  Oh,  why 
doesn't  the  Swiss  shoot  the  architect,  or  the  archi- 
tect scrape  the  Swiss  ?  " 

If  his  enemies  had  not  insisted  on  the  contrary, 
one  would  hardly  have  thought  it  necessary  to  claim 
courage  for  a  man  who  was  in  the  streets  of  Paris 
during  the  days  of  July  1830,  who  chose  to  be  "  out " 
with  Garibaldi,  and  who  fought  two  or  three  duels 
and  sent  goodness  knows  how  many  challenges.  As 
a  fact,  Dumas's  courage  was  of  the  best  quality. 

"  In  manhood  his  earliest  impulse,"  Mr  Lang  tells 
us,  "  was  to  rush  at  danger  ;  if  he  had  to  wait  he  felt 
his  courage  oozing  out  at  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  like 
Bob  Acres,  but  in  the  moment  of  peril  he  was  him- 
self again."  His  bravery  greatly  resembled  that  of 
Henri  Quatre  in  "  Les  Ouarante  Cinq":  it  was  a 
fear  of  feai\  which  overmastered  any  fear  of  the 
event  that  menaced  him. 

Once,  when  serving  in  the  National  guard,  Dumas 
was  summoned  to  help  to  arrest  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies!  He  and  another  comrade  met  at  the 
doors :  they  waited,  but  no  one  joined  them.  The 
"false  alarm"  appears  to  have  been  in  the  nature  of 
a  test,  which  the  author  passed  successfully. 

The  great  man's  disdain  of  danger  was  partly  due 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  107 

to  his  superb  health  and  strength.  He  was  truly 
the  son  of  the  general  who  choked  a  horse  with  his 
knees  ;  it  was  veritably  the  father  of  Porthos  who 
tackled  the  leader  of  a  crowd  which  threatened  to 
mob  him.  "  He  turned  round,"  says  M.  Du  Chaf- 
fault,  "seized  on  the  biggest,  carried  him  to  tlie 
parapet  of  the  bridge  as  if  he'd  been  a  bundle  of 
straw,  and  cried,  '  Beg  my  pardon,  or  I'll  throw  you 
into  the  water ! '  "  His  confidence  rested  also  on  his 
perfect  familiarity  with  all  kinds  of  weapons.  He 
fenced  admirably,  and  was  an  excellent  shot,  as 
became  an  ardent  sportsman,  for  in  all  the  pleasures 
of  Dumas's  life  sport  took  a  commanding  place.  As 
a  boy  we  have  seen  him  companion  of  keepers  and 
poachers  ;  as  a  man  he  loved  the  chase  from  the 
spearing  of  trout  by  midnight  to  the  hunting  of 
wolves.  His  travels  contain  the  stories  of  his  own 
exploits  :  his  "  Causeries  "  tell  of  the  triumphs  of 
others  ;  everywhere  in  his  books  you  may  read  of 
some  form  of  la  chasse;  in  one  it  is  Charles  IX. 
chasing  the  boar,  in  another  Ferdinand  of  Naples 
breaking  up  a  Council  at  the  call  of  h.\s  pig  it  e2i7's. 
When  wearied  of  desk-work,  or  intent  on  thinking 
out  a  new  romance  or  play,  Dumas  would  disappear 
from  Paris  for  a  few  days.  Hi::  old  friends  at 
Villers-Cotterets  would  be  rejoicod  to  see  their 
young  friend  (he  was  always  "  young "  to  them) 
walk  in  unexpectedly  one  line  day,  looking  gay  and 


168         I  TFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

hearty,  and  ordering  his  dinner  even  as  he  shouted 
a  greeting!  Then  would  follow  the  jolliest  of 
dinner-parties,  everyone  crowding  round  the  table 
to  exchanofe  banter  and  chaff  with  the  "  Kingf  of 
Paris,"  who  was  happy  and  content  to  be  hail-fellow- 
well-met  with  the  poorest  peasant  in  VillerS- 
Cotterets. 

It  has  been  made  a  subject  of  reproach  against 
Dumas — and  which  of  his  qualities  has  not  been  made 
use  of  in  that  way  ? — that  he  knew  how  to  "  cook  his 
hare "  after  he  had  caught  it.  This  prejudice  is 
especially  strong  in  England,  where  the  word 
goicrmet  is  confused  with  gourmand,  and  popularly 
translated  to  mean  "glutton."  Ordinarily,  the  writer 
lived  simply,  and  if  he  knew  how  food  could  best  be 
cooked,  if  he  liked  it  cooked  well  instead  of  badly, 
and  if  he  had  the  skill  to  cook  it  himself,  there  is 
surely  no  need  to  think  any  the  worse  of  him.  He 
was  not  i^pace  Stevenson)  a  "great  eater"  in  the 
sense  of  eating  much  ;  he  boasted  of  his  appetite,  it 
is  true,  but  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  it  was 
out  of  proportion  to  his  giant  frame  and  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  work  he  got  through.  So  much  of 
a  "glutton,"  in  short,  was  our  Dumas,  that  when 
engrossed  in  his  writing  he  refused  to  stop  to  take 
food  ;  whatever  his  servant  chose  to  prepare  for  him 
was  placed  at  his  elbow,  and  he  ate  mechanically  as 
he  wrote  on  and  on  ! 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  1G9 

To  those  who  have  so  far  followed  the  progress 
of  this  sketch  of  Dumas's  life  and  character  it  will 
be  a  matter  of  no  surprise  to  learn  that  he  was  a 
humanitarian.  His  father  had  earned  the  nickname 
of  "  Mr  Humanity  "  from  the  fierce  sansculottes  of 
the  Revolution,  because  he  drew  down  the  blinds  of 
his  room  rather  than  witness  the  execution  of  some 
poor  wretches  whom  the  fanaticism  of  the  time  had 
doomed  to  the  oruillotine.  And  as  the  love  of  one's 
kind  is  only  a  grander  form  of  charity,  Dumas  the 
charitable  was  never  found  wantinsf.  Sometimes  he 
used  his  influence  to  save  a  coiner  from  the  gallows ; 
sometimes  he  racked  his  wits  to  prevent  a  duel  which 
was  likely  to  end  fatally  ;  sometimes  he  would  write 
autographs  and  aphorisms  by  the  hundred,  that 
some  wretch  in  poverty  might  benefit  by  the  sale. 
When  "Notre  Dame  des  Arts"  was  founded, 
Fitzgerald  tells  us,  Dumas  took  the  translation  of 
a  little  German  play,  shaped  it,  disposed  of  it  for 
^Soo,  and  presented  the  money  to  the  charity.  A 
poor  monk  journeying  from  Palestine,  to  obtain 
funds  for  the  rebuilding  of  his  monastery  at  Carmel, 
appealed  to  the  writer,  who  laid  the  good  man's 
petition  before  the  public  through  the  columns  of  a 
friendly  journal.  No  less  a  sum  than  300,000  francs 
was  raised,  and  the  monk  went  home  joyfully,  his 
quest  accomplished. 

Brunswick,  who  provided  the  base-idea  on  which 


170  LIFE  AND  AVRITINGS  OF 

"  Mademoiselle  de  Belle- Isle "  was  founded,  sold 
his  share — a  third  of  the  profits — for  300  francs, 
to  a  friend,  who  re-sold  it  to  Dumas.  When  the 
play  was  written  and  produced,  and  proved  a 
success,  Brunswick  hinted  to  the  author  that  the 
sum  was  not  adequate.     The  other  replied  : — 

"  I  heartily  thank  you,  my  dear  friend,  for  wishing 
to  have  your  share  in  the  good  fortune  that  has  just 
befallen  me.  I  fancy  I  am  more  skilful  in  putting 
dialogue  together  than  figures.  I  left  out  an 
*  ought '  in  the  sum  we  agreed  upon  for  '  your ' 
piece.  It  is  worth,  my  dear  Brunswick,  not  300, 
but  3,000  francs." 

The  description  given  by  Dumas  of  the  last  days 
and  the  last  moments  of  Marie  Dorval  is  full  of 
pathos,  and  most  feelingly,  unaffectedly  told.  The 
dying  actress  begged  her  old  friend  to  see  that  she 
was  not  laid  in  a  pauper's  grave,  and  he  promised. 
He  had  only  200  francs  of  his  own;  Hugo  and 
M.  Falloux  between  them  supplied  another  300 ; 
and  the  "vain  fcnxeur''  pawned  a  cherished 
decoration  to  make  up  the  necessary  balance.  He 
struggled  vainly  to  obtain  pardon  for  Marie 
Capelle  (Madame  Lafarge),  niece  of  his  playmate 
Collard,  whose  crime  was  one  of  the  tragic  mysteries 
of  the  day.  He  had  better  fortune  in  the  case  of  a 
hussar  named  Bruyant,  a  native  of  Villers-Cotterets, 
who  was  condemned  to  death  for  killing  a  superior 


ALEXxVNDRE  DUMxVS  171 

officer,  in  an  attempt  to  desert.  By  energetically 
attacking  first  his  young  patron  the  Duke  de 
Chartres,  and  then  M.  Guizot,  Dumas  obtained  a 
commutation  of  the  sentence,  for,  as  he  had  fore- 
seen, the  man  proved  to  be  mad,  and  was  finally 
taken  care  of. 

In  his  epilogue  to  "  Comte  Hermann"  the 
author  pleaded,  with  much  earnestness  and  good 
sense,  that  executions  should  not  be  held  semi- 
publicly,  a  way  which  summons  false  pride  to  the 
heart  of  the  condemned  and  hardens  him  to  die 
unrepentant.  He  asked  that  the  sentence  should 
be  carried  out  in  the  prison  cell  itself,  and  should  be 
accomplished,  more  swiftl\-  and  painlessly,  by  elec- 
tricity. Since  the  words  were  written  the  French 
have  advanced  somewhat  towards  Dumas's  ideal  ; 
the  Americans  have  realised  it  to  the  full.  As  in 
private  life  our  author  was  a  friend  of  the  poor, 
the  sorrowing  and  the  suffering,  so  in  the  world's 
history  he  invariably  championed  the  cause  of  the 
fallen.  "In  his  stories,"  says  Ferry,  "he  never  lost 
an  opportunity  of  re-crowning  the  vanquished,  of 
raising  up  fallen  causes,  and  of  asking  the  pity  of 
posterity  for  those  men  who  had  sacrificed  them- 
selves for  it." 

Dumas  passed  through  that  evolution  of  the  soul 
so  frequent  with  thinkers, — dogmatism, — doubt — 
and  a  new  faith,  based  on  reason,  and  the  divine 


172  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

intuition  within  man.  As  a  boy  he  passed  through 
a  period  of  reHgious  ecstacy ;  yet  in  his  youth 
when  he  was  in  the  depths  of  Byronic  gloom,  he 
prefaced  his  play  of  "Antony,"  as  we  have  seen, 
with  what  was  intended  to  be  a  very  wicked  in- 
vocation to  the  Spirit  of  Evil,  in  which  he  declared 
he  would  give  up  to  it  his  life,  and  his  soul  too, — 
"  if  he  believed  in  it ! "  Twenty-four  years  later, 
he  wrote  to  Victor  Hugo,  **  I  believe  in  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul."  In  the  verses  which  he 
composed  on  his  mother's  death,  he  shows  a 
passionate  piety.  All  these  conflicting  sentiments 
were  uttered  with  perfect  sincerity  —  they  were 
really  felt  at  the  time  they  were  expressed.  But 
his  true  confession  of  faith,  the  conclusions  of  his 
maturer  years,  is  given  in  the  "  Memoires."  Here, 
after  protesting  "a  great  respect  for  holy  things,  a 
great  faith  in  Providence  and  a  great  love  for  God," 
he  continues  : 

"  Never  in  the  course  of  a  somewhat  long  life 
have  I  fe'lt,  in  the  most  wretched  hours  of  that 
life,  one  moment  of  doubt,  one  instant's  despair. 
I  will  not  dare  to  say  that  I  am  sure  of  the  im- 
mortality of  my  soul ;  I  will  simply  say,  I  hope 
for  it." 

At  a  certain  dinner-party  given  by  an  opulent 
banker,  the  company  discussed  the  existence  of 
God,  "over  the  walnuts  and   wine,"  and  a  certain 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  173 

general  was  very  scornful  on  the  subject,  wonderi no- 
how people  could  trouble  to  discuss  such  trifles. 

**  For  my  part,"  he  added,  "  I  can't  conceive  of 
the  existence  of  this  mysterious  being  whom  they 
call  *  the  good  God.' " 

"General,"  replied  Dumas,  "I  have  two  hunting- 
dogs,  two  monkeys  and  a  parrot  at  home,  who  are 
of  your  opinion  exactly." 

Dumas  Jils  has  examined  his  father's  religious 
sentiments  and  analysed  them.  In  the  Introduction 
to  the  "  Mousquetalres  "  before  quoted.  He  finds 
that  his  father  was  too  sane,  too  busy  In  good 
work,  to  dwell  much  on  the  hereafter ;  but  believes 
that  the  kind,  charitable  soul  need  not  be  blamed 
very  severely  for  living  for  this  life,  without  con- 
sidering its  own  precious  self  too  closely — and  most 
of  us  will  agree  with  him. 

Even  in  the  last  darkening;  hours  of  his  mind 
Dumas  was  capable,  at  brief  intervals,  of  some- 
thing like  his  old  wit.  We  quote  his  last  mot 
from  M.  Ferry's  "Dernleres  Annees  d'A.  Dumas": 

"  When  they  took  him  away  from  Paris  he  had 
twenty  francs  on  him.  That  louls  was  the  total 
fortune  of  this  man,  who  had  earned  millions. 

"  On  arriving  at  Puys,  Dumas  placed  the  coin 
on  his  bedroom  chlmney-plece,  and  there  it  re- 
mained all  through  his  illness. 

"  One  day  he  was  seated   in   his  chair  near  the 


/ 


174  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

window,  chatting  with  his  son,  when  his  eye  fell 
on  the  gold  piece. 

"A  recollection  of  the  past  crossed  his  mind. 

" '  Fifty  years  ago,  when  I  went  to  Paris,'  he 
said,  *  I  had  a  louis.  Why  have  people  accused 
me  of  prodigality.'*  I  have  always  kept  that  louis. 
See — there  it  is  ! '  " 

"  And  he  showed  his  son  the  coin,  smiling  feebly 
as  he  did  so." 

We  may  add,  by  way  of  appendices,  three 
character-sketches  which  will  supplement  the  im- 
pression given  by  our  own.  They  present  by  way 
of  contrast,  a  view  of  Dumas's  character,  which 
is,  as  it  were,  focussed  and  compact. 

The  first  is  a  phrenological  description  given 
by  Dr  Castle,  a  professor  of  that  "pseudo-science," 
which  purports  to  be  a  cold-blooded  estimate  of 
its  subject's  virtues  and  vices  : 

"  Frank  in  the  expression  of  all  that  he  feels 
and  thinks,  he  is  loath  by  nature  to  take  any 
roundabout  way  of  attaining  his  end:  his  is  the 
very  opposite  of  the  intriguing  instinct. 

"  He  is  expansive,  affectionate,  and  caressing  in 
manner ;  and  his  affection  is  of  that  kind  which 
extends  itself  in  all  directions,  being  in  fact,  the 
confession  of  his  need  for  comradeship.  This 
tendency  to   make   friends    of   all   whom   he   meets 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  175 

means  practically  an  absence  of  exclusiveness  in 
affection. 

"  He  has  a  natural  love  for  the  weak,  the  suffer- 
ing, and  the  young,  and  by  a  logical  antithesis,  a 
love,  too,  for  the  aged. 

"He  possesses  confidence  in  himself,  and  yet 
needs  the  approbation  of  others  ;  he  has  a  desire 
to  please,  coupled  with  a  respect  for  others. 

"  As  one  may  see,  such  a  character  is  subject 
to  a  great  number  of  opposing  impulses.  These 
contradictory  instincts  will  have  an  effect  on  our 
writer,  a  subtle  inward  effect,  which  is  more 
apparent  to  Dumas  himself  than  to  any  of  his 
friends,  however  well  they  know  him. 

"  He  feels  the  need  of  love,  of  lovinof  and  beine 
loved :  this  need  is  elemental  in  him,  and  is  felt 
perhaps  the  more  strongly  by  the  sensuous  than 
by  the  spiritual  side  of  his  nature. 

"  He  is  subject  to  irritable,  rather  than  to  iras- 
cible moments,  and  capable,  on  rare  occasions,  of 
violent  and  blind  passion.  Also  he  is  liable  to 
show  himself  vindictive,  or,  more  often,  stubborn, 
in  controversy  or  quarrel.  This  obstinacy  is  prone 
to  seem  like  vindictiveness,  because  our  subject 
will  probably  be  infuriated  by  resistance  to  his 
desires,  although  he  feels  no  hatred  towards  the 
cause  of  his  anorer. 

"There  is  a  tendency  towards  covetousness,  ver}" 


176  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

slightly  indicated,  but  present.  He  is  generally 
inclined  to  see  the  best  side  of  everything,  and 
view  all  things  through  couleur  de  rose  spectacles. 
He  is  pious  by  instinct  and  religious  by  intelligence, 
more  brave  than  courageous,  and  more  resolute 
than  brave." 

The  second  is  a  portrait  of  Dumas  in  his  thirties, 
by  a  confrere  and  a  contemporary,  M.  Hippolyte 
Romand,  who  looks  upon  the  author  from  a  more 
human  point  of  view  : 

"  Passionate  by  temperament,  subtle  by  instinct, 
and  courageous  by  vanity,  he  has  a  good  heart  and 
bad  judgment,  and  is  a  spendthrift  by  nature.  He 
is  a  veritable  '  Antony '  for  love,  almost  a  '  Dar- 
lington '  for  ambition :  he  never  will  be  a  *  Sen- 
tinelli '  ^  for  vengeance.  Superstitious^  when  he 
thinks,  religious  when  he  writes,  sceptical  when  he 
speaks,  light  even  in  his  most  fiery  passions,  his 
blood  is  a  lava,  his  thought  a  spark.  His  per- 
sonality is  as  illogical  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive, 
and  the  most  unmusical  that  we  know ;  he  is  a 
liar  in   his  capacity  as  poet ;  generous,  because  he 

1  The  character  in  "  Christine  "  who,  impelled  by  private  hate,  kills 
Monaldeschi,  by  Queen  Christine's  order. 

2  Pifteau  tells  us  that  Dumas  had  a  belief  in  the  "evil  eye,"  and  a 
rooted  distrust  of  monks  as  harbingers  of  evil.  Vandam  tells  us  that 
"althoug^h  far  from  being  superstitious,"  the  romancer  prophesied  that 
the  notorious  Lola  Montes  would  bring  ill-luck  to  all  who  joined  their 
destinies  to  hers,  and  the  after  career  of  that  courtesan  proved  him  to 
be  riffht. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  177 

is  an  artist  and  a  poet;  too  liberal  in  friendship, 
too  despotic  in  love ;  vain  as  a  woman,  resolute 
as  a  man,  and  egoistical  as  a  God.  He  is  sincere 
to  imprudence,  kind  without  discernment,  forgetful 
even  to  thoughtlessness,  a  wanderer  body  and  soul, 
cosmopolitan  by  taste,  patriotic  in  opinion,  rich  in 
illusions  and  caprices,  poor  in  prudence  and  ex- 
perience ;  light  in  spirit,  cutting  in  speech,  witty 
in  season,  a  Don  Juan  by  night,  an  Alcibiades  by 
day,  a  veritable  Proteus,  escaping  from  everybody 
and  from  himself;  as  lovable  for  his  defects  as 
for  his  good  qualities  ;  more  seductive  for  his  vices 
than  for  his  virtues — that  is  M.  Dumas  as  we  love 
him,  as  he  is  !  " 

We  make  no  apology  for  adding,  as  the  third 
"  opinion,"  that  of  one  whose  partiality  inspired  a 
frank  eulogy.  It  is  Dumas  fits  who  is  speaking, 
a  man  of  critical  insight,  who  may  at  least  be  relied 
upon  to  praise  the  praiseworthy  qualities  of  his 
father,  and  not  to  extol  the  bad  ones.  He  speaks 
in  apostrophe  : 

"  In  this  century,  which  seems  created,  above 
all,  to  devour  all  things,  you  were  in  truth  the  one 
man  it  needed,  for  you  in  turn  were  born  to  pro- 
duce perpetually.  What  precautions  nature  took, 
what  provision  she  made  in  thee,  for  the  formidable 
appetites,  for  which  she  was  forced  to  prepare ! 
It  was  beneath  the  American  sun,  and  with  African 


178  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

blood,  that  she  moulded  him  of  whom  you  were 
born,  and  who,  soldier  and  general  of  the  Republic, 
strangled  a  horse  between  his  legs,  broke  a  helmet 
with  his  teeth,  and,  alone,  defended  the  bridge  of 
Brixen  against  a  vanguard  of  twenty  men !  Rome 
would  have  bestowed  the  honours  of  a  triumph 
upon  him  and  made  him  consul :  France,  calmer 
and  more  economical,  shut  the  doors  of  the  college 
upon  his  son.  That  son,  growing  to  manhood  in 
the  wide  forests — in  the  open  air  and  under  the 
blue  heavens — urged  on  by  want  and  by  his  genius, 
flung  himself,  one  fine  day,  into  the  great  city,  and 
marched  into  literature  by  the  breach  he  made, 
as  his  father  marched  into  the  camp  of  the  enemy. 
"  Then  commenced  that  cyclopean  work  which 
lasted  for  forty  years.  Tragedy,  dramas,  history, 
romance,  comedy,  travel,  you  cast  all  of  them  in 
the  furnace  and  the  mould  of  your  brain,  and  you 
peopled  the  world  of  fiction  with  new  creations. 
The  newspaper,  the  book,  the  theatre,  burst  asunder, 
too  narrow  for  your  puissant  shoulders ;  you  fed 
France,  Europe,  America,  with  your  works;  you 
made  the  wealth  of  publishers,  translators,  plagi- 
arists ;  printers  and  copyists  toiled  after  you  in  vain. 
In  the  fever  of  production  you  did  not  always  try  to 
prove  the  metal  you  employed,  and  sometimes  you 
tossed  into  the  furnace  whatever  came  to  your  hand. 
The  fire  made  the  selection  :  what  was  your  own  is 


ALEXANDRE  DUIMAS  179 

bronze,  what  was  hot  yours  vanished  in  smoke. 
You  have  turned  out  some  bad  worl:  thus  ;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  how  many  amongst  those  who  would 
have  remained  obscure  have  been  Hghtened  and 
warmed  at  the  forge  of  your  genius ;  and  if  the 
hour  of  restoration  sounded,  how  immensely  would 
you  gain,  simply  by  taking  back  what  you  have 
given,  and  what  has  been  taken  from  you  ! 

''  Sometimes  you  placed  your  heavy  hammer  upon 
your  great  anvil,  and  rested  on  the  threshold  of 
the  glittering  grotto,  your  sleeves  turned  back, 
your  chest  open  to  the  air.  With  smiling  face,  you 
wiped  your  forehead  ;  you  gazed  at  the  calm  stars, 
breathing  the  freshness  of  the  night,  or  perhaps 
you  rushed  off  upon  the  first  path  you  met,  hailing 
your  freedom  as  a  prisoner  would  ;  you  crossed 
the  ocean,  you  climbed  the  Caucasians,  you  scaled 
Etna — it  was  always  something  colossal !  Then, 
your  lungs  filled  anew,  you  returned  to  your  cave. 
Seeing  your  big  shadow  outlined  in  black  against 
the  glowing  hearth,  the  mob  clapped  their  hands  ; 
for  at  heart  they  love  fertility  in  work,  elegance 
in  strength,  simplicity  in  genius,  and  you  have 
fertility,  simplicity,  elegance — and  generosity,  which 
I  had  forgotten,  but  which  has  made  you  a  million- 
aire for  others  and  poor  for  yourself. 

"  Then  one  day  there  came  a  change — indiffer- 
ence, ingratitude,  seized  the  crowd,  whom  till  now 


180  ALEXANDRE  DUMAS 

you  had  swayed  and  dominated.  They  went  else- 
where, wishing  to  see  something  fresh  ;  you  had 
given  them  too  much.  You  even  heard  it  whis- 
pered, '  I  declare  the  son  has  far  more  talent.' 
You  well  might  laugh  at  that,  but  you  did  not ; 
you  were  merely  proud  of  me,  like  some  ordinary 
father,  and  perhaps  you  thought  that  they  were 
right.  You  would  have  given  me  all  your  glory, 
just  as  you  used  to  give  me  all  your  money  when 
I  was  an  idle  boy.  Let  others  of  my  time  claim 
to  be  your  equals  :  as  they  do  not  bear  your  name, 
that  is  their  own  affair ;  but  I  wish  those  who  come 
after  me  to  know,  when  they  shall  see  our  two 
names  one  above  the  other  on  the  scroll  of  this 
century,  that  whatever  people  may  say,  I  have 
never  felt  you  other  than  my  father,  my  friend, 
and  my  teacher ;  and  that,  thanks  to  you,  I  have 
never  become  conceited,  always  considering  myself 
a  mere  pigmy  by  the  side  of  you." 

Reading  this  filial  tribute,  in  which  the  regret 
for  the  father's  lost  popularity  seems  to  be  sin- 
cerely greater  than  the  writer's  own  pleasure  in 
his  success,  one  may  well  agree  with  Hugo,  when 
he  wrote  to  the  younger  Dumas  on  the  death  of 
his  father  : — 

"  That  soul  was  capable  of  all  the  miracles,  even 
that  of  bequeathing  itself,  even  of  surviving  itself. 
Your  father  lives  in  you." 


PART  II 

HIS  WRITINGS 


His  Writings 

"  Suppose,"  wrote  Victor  Hugo,  "  that  in  place  of 
the  romance  of  narrative,  and  the  romance  epis- 
tolary, a  creativ^e  brain  produced  the  romance 
dramatic,  wherein  the  action  should  unfold  itself 
in  a  series  of  faithful  and  varied  pictures,  just  as 
the  events  of  real  life  occur ;  which  should  know 
no  other  division  than  that  which  the  chansfinsf 
scenes  demanded — which  should  be,  in  short,  a 
long  drama,  in  which  the  description  supplies  the 
scenery  and  the  costumes  ?  " 

Dumas  was  destined  to  realise  this  ideal  much 
more  extensively  and  closely  than  Hugo  himself. 
He  possessed,  in  the  first  place,  the  constructive, 
dramatic  skill  ;  he  only  needed  the  impetus.  He 
found  it  in  the  love  of  history  ;  but  it  was  needful 
that  he  should  first  find  the  historians  who  would 
reconcile  him  to  the  task. 

"What  France  is  looking  for,  is  the  historical 
novel,"  said  Lassagne  to  Dumas  once,  in  the  early 
days  of  the  writer's  career. 

"  But  the  history  of  France  is  so  dull  and 
tedious  !  "  answered  the  ignorant  young  dramatist 
dogmatically. 


184  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"  Indeed — how  do  you  know  that?" 

"  I've  been  told  so." 

"  Poor  boy  !  Read  it  yourself,  first,  and  then 
you'll  change  your  mind." 

Dumas  took  his  friend's  advice,  and  read  Thierry, 
and  a  high  ambition  possessed  him. 

"One  day,"  he  tells  us,  "  Lamartine  asked  me 
to  what  I  attributed  the  success  of  his  '  Histoire 
des  Girondins.' " 

" '  To  the  fact  that  you  raised  history  to  the 
height  of  the  romance,'   I  replied." 

"In  Dumas,"  says  Swinburne,  "  the  novelist  and 
the  dramatist  were  thoroughly  at  one."  We  are 
told,  and  can  well  believe,  that  when  the  immense 
success  of  "  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires  "  called  for  a 
dramatised  version  of  the  book,  little  more  than 
scissors  and  paste,  some  skill  in  selection,  and  a  change 
of  form,  were  needed  to  turn  the  romance  into  a 
play.  On  the  other  hand,  "  Henri  Trois  et  sa 
Cour"  and  "La  Tour  de  Nesle"  read  like  cape- 
and-sv/ord  romances  in  stage  dress. 

We  know  that  in  Dumas  a  desire  to  write  fiction 
had  always  lurked  behind  the  lust  for  theatrical 
fame.  About  the  time  that  his  first  vaudeville  was 
performed,  the  first  book,  a  little  collection  of  short 
stories,  appeared.  These,  as  we  have  said,  were 
the  "  Nouvelles  Contemporaines "  of  1826,  after- 
wards   included    in   the    "  Souvenirs   d'Antony "   of 


CONTEMPORAINES, 


Alex.  DUMAS. 


Fils  d'un  soIdaL,  i'airae  a  cboisit 
noes  herosdanslesranfsderarmee. 


PARIS. 

SANSON,   LIBRAIRE 

DE     S.    A.    R.     MONSEICNEL'R     LE   DLC   DE     MONTPENSIER, 

Palais-Roval,  galeric  de  bois,  n°  25o. 

1826. 


TITLE    PAwE    UF    ItlMASS    lUiST     BUUK. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  185 

1S35.  As  this  was  Dumas's  first  book,  and  is 
now  a  great  rarity,  we  may  give  it  a  little 
attention. 

"The  first  of  these  stories,"  he  tells  us,  "was 
entitled  '  Laurette,'  the  second  '  Blanche  de  Beau- 
lieu,'  and  the  name  of  the  third  I  have  utterly 
forgotten.  '  Blanche  de  Beaulieu '  I  afterwards 
utilised  in  writing  '  La  Rose  Rouge,'  and  the  third 
{the  one  of  which  I  cannot  remember  the  name), 
I  subsequently  reconstructed  into  *  Le  Cocher  de 
Cabriolet.' "  We  may  add  that  the  third  story 
was  named  "  Marie,"  and  that  the  book  was  dedi- 
cated to  the  author's  mother  in  "  Homage — love 
— gratitude."  Of  the  four  (or  six)  copies  sold, 
one  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Garnett, 
Esq.,  and  the  title-page  is  here  reproduced  with 
his  permission. 

Of  the  three  (later  the  five)  stories,  "  Blanche 
de  Beaulieu"  was  the  most  strikinof.  It  is  note- 
worthy  that  in  this  sombre  but  powerful  little 
story  General  Dumas,  the  author's  father,  appears, 
though  in  its  first  form  he  was  alluded  to  without 
being  named,  "  Le  Cocher  de  Cabriolet "  (after- 
w^ards  destined  to  form  the  basis  of  the  author's 
drama  of  "  Angele "),  is  a  pretty  story,  of  a  kind 
differing  strongly  from  the  terrible  poignancy  of 
its  companion,  "  Un  bal  masque,"  which  is  in  the 
true    "  Antony "    vein.      This    last,    indeed,    is    the 


186  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

sole  excuse  for  connecting  these  stories  with  the 
famous  play,  as  it  is  supposed  to  be  told  by  that 
Byronic  personage  himself.  The  remaining  story, 
"  Cherubino  et  Celestini,"  appeared  as  one  of 
the  "  Cent-et-un  Nouvelles"  in  1833,  under  the 
title  of  "  Les  Enfants  de  la  Madone "  ("The 
Foundlings ").  The  main  incidents  contained  in 
this  "  nouvelle  "  were  told  to  Sir  Walter  Scott  as 
local  history,  when  he  visited  Naples  shortly  before 
he  died,  and  are  given  in  his  "Journal"  as  "The 
Death  of  Bizarro."  Tennyson  versified  it  from 
that  source  in  "  The  Bandit's  Wife."  How  cleverly 
the  theme  has  been  elaborated,  and  how  its  in- 
terest has  been  heightened,  by  the  skill  of  the 
Frenchman,  may  be  seen  by  those  who  will  com- 
pare the  outline  in  Scott's  journal  with  "Cheru- 
bino et  Celestini." 

The  novelist  in  Dumas  lay  dormant  for  nine 
years  —  his  period  of  dramatic  triumphs.  Then, 
an  acquaintance  with  Scott's  novels,  and  an  intro- 
duction to  history  picturesquely  told,  in  the  shape 
of  Barante's  "  Histoire  des  Dues  de  Bourgoyne " 
combined  to  excite  his  imagination,  and  gave  di- 
rection to  the  ambitions  called  forth  by  Thierry. 
In  his  fine  preface  to  "  Isabel  de  Baviere"  he  faces 
the  difficulties  and  exults  over  the  glories  of  the 
career  which  he  foresees  for  himself: 

"  One  of  the  most  magnificent  privileges  of  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  187 

historian,  that  lord  over  the  Past,"  he  wrote,  "is 
the  power  to  rebuild  palaces  and  reanimate  the 
dust  of  dead  heroes.  With  the  touch  of  his  pen,  at 
the  sound  of  his  voice,  as  at  the  call  of  a  God, 
the  scattered  bones  reunite  ;  again  the  living  flesh 
covers  them ;  they  are  clothed  once  more  in  the 
gay  robes  of  their  other  life,  and  from  out  that 
immense  gulf  of  oblivion  whither  the  three  thousand 
centuries  have  flung  their  offspring,  he  has  but  to 
choose  the  favoured  elect  of  his  caprice,  and  call 
them  by  name,  to  see  them  instantly  raise  with  their 
brows  the  walls  of  their  tombs,  part  with  their  hands 
the  folds  of  their  shrouds,  and  answer  him,  as 
Lazarus  answered  Christ :  '  Lord,  here  am  I  :  what 
wilt  Thou  with  me  ?  '  " 

"  True,  one  needs  a  firm  step  to  descend  into  the 
abyss  of  history,  a  voice  of  power,  to  question  the 
phantoms  who  dwell  there,  a  hand  that  shall  not 
tremble,  to  write  the  words  that  they  shall  speak, 
for  often  the  dead  hold  terrible  secrets  which  have 
been  'interred  with  their  bones.'  " 

Dumas's  early  ideal  of  the  historical  romance, 
although  it  changed  with  the  development  of  his 
genius,  is  also  interesting.  At  the  beginning  of  his 
career,  he  wrote : 

"  The  great  difficulty  (it  seems  to  us)  is  to  avoid 
two  errors — not  to  attenuate  the  past,  as  history  has 
done  ;  not  to  disfigure  it,  as  the  romance  does.     The 


188  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

only  way  to  steer  clear  of  both  these  mistakes 
will  be,  then,  immediately  one  has  chosen  one's 
historical  epoch,  to  study  thoroughly  the  interests 
which  moved  the  three  classes  of  society  —  the 
people,  the  nobility  and  royalty — at  that  time ;  to 
choose  from  among  the  principal  personages  of 
those  classes  such  as  took  an  active  part  in  the 
events  to  be  comprised  in  the  narrative ;  and  to 
enquire  minutely  concerning  their  appearance,  char- 
acter and  temperament,  so  that,  whilst  making  them 
live,  speak,  and  act  in  this  triple  unity,  one  may 
show  the  development  in  these  historical  types,  of 
the  passions  which  brought  about  those  catastrophes 
which  are  recorded  in  the  pages  of  the  century  by 
dates  and  facts  and  in  which  one  can  only  interest 
one's  public  by  showing  them  the  actual  living 
manner  in  which  the  same  deeds  were  added  to 
history." 

Such  was  Dumas's  view  of  the  romance  in  the 
days  of  "  Isabel  de  Baviere,"  and  "  La  Comtesse  de 
Salisbury."  We  have  already  explained  how  the 
former  "  chronique "  came  to  be  written.  Dumas 
selected  the  most  effective  portions  of  Barante,  and 
vivified  them.  He  was  destined  in  the  future  to 
make  a  brilliant  success  by  the  way  in  which  he 
painted  romance  on  a  foundation  of  history  ;  but  on 
this  occasion,  as  Mr  Saintsbury  pithily  puts  it,  "  the 
canvas  shows  throucrh,"     There  is  a  want  of  coher- 

O 


ALEXANDRE  DU.MAS  189 

ence  in  the  book  :  it  is  absorbingly  interesting,  but 
it  is  neither  romance  nor  history.  "  La  Comtesse 
de  SaHsbury,"  pubHshed  four  years  later,  in  1839, 
is  less  readable.  An  admirable  opening  chapter  is 
succeeded  by  long  tracts  of  history,  and  only  at 
brief  intervals  do  the  characters  take  life.  This  is 
the  more  to  be  regretted,  as  the  episode  of  Edward 
III.'s  guilty  passion  for  his  vassal's  wife  was  a 
subject  of  which,  in  after-years,  our  more  experi- 
enced author,  emancipated  from  history,  would 
probably  have  made  much.  The  preface,  which 
treats  of  the  influence  of  Scott  on  the  author  and 
his  fellow-romancers  in  France,  is  by  far  the  most 
valuable  part  of  the  book. 

Absorbed  in  travel  and  the  drama,  once  again 
our  romancer  neglected  the  historical  metier. 
"  Pauline,"  a  powerful  little  novel,  some  first  in- 
dications of  which  appeared  in  his  "  Impressions 
de  Voyage  en  Suisse,"  was  published  in  183S, 
and  was  much  praised ;  and  "  Pascal  Bruno,"  an 
episode  of  the  days  of  Murat,  was  also  suggested 
by  the  author's  travels  in  Italy,  and  was  coupled 
with  "  Pauline "  in  a  volume  entitled  "  La  Salle 
dArmes." 

When  Dumas  produced  his  drama  of  "  Caligula," 
he  said  to  himself,  "  to  study  the  corpse  it  is  best  to 
visit  the  tomb."  He  therefore  went  to  Italy,  and  also 
"  read  up  "  the  epoch,  and  the  result  was  a  romance 


190  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

as  well  as  a  drama.  "  Acte,"  which  was  published 
in  1839,  is  not  translated  into  English,  but  in  some 
respects  it  is  a  most  notable  book.  "  Scott  could 
never  have  written  the  first  two  hundred  pages," 
says  Parigot  truly  ;  "  Renan  would  not  have  been 
ashamed  of  them.  Every  step  that  Dumas  takes 
his  foot  rests  on  a  document — Nero's  entry  into  the 
city  over  the  ddbris  of  its  walls,  which  had  been 
levelled  in  his  honour,  the  suppers,  the  games  at 
the  circus,  the  letters  from  Gaul  which  interrupt  the 
spectacle — the  whole  story  is  taken  from  authentic 
sources,  not  forgetting  Nero's  flight,  and  his  death 
at  the  house  of  Plancus.  And  with  what  grace, 
with  what  imaginative  facility  is  this  prodigious  epoch 
conjured  up,  living  and  breathing,  before  our  eyes! 
To  these  marvels  of  illusion,  gathered  together  by 
the  artist  in  Dumas  with  great  effort  and  skill,  he 
adds  the  vivid  illusion  of  his  own  story." 

It  is  a  pity  that  such  excellent  work  should  in  the 
end  "  drag  itself  to  death  in  plagiarism  and  prolixity  "  ; 
but  the  fact  was  that  Dumas's  mother  died  whilst  the 
book  was  being  written,  and  this  probably  accounts 
for  the  fact  that  the  novel  varies  so  markedly 
in  merit.  Either  the  writer,  absorbed  in  his 
sorrow,  left  some  other  author  to  finish  it,  or  he  lost 
interest  in  the  romance,  and  being  as  usual  pressed 
for  time,  made  use  of  Chateaubriand's  "  Martyrs " 
to    supply    the    place    of  his    vanished   inspiration. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  101 

Sienkiewicz,  who  has  studied  Dumas's  works  to 
admirable  purpose,  probably  found  in  "Acte"  the 
basis  for  "  Quo  Vadis."  The  "  Acte  "  of  Mr  West- 
bury,  although  it  does  not  resemble  Dumas's  in 
plot,  would  seem  to  have  been  suggested  by  the 
older  romance. 

"  Le  Capitaine  Paul,"  published  in  the  previous 
year,  relates  to  the  celebrated  privateersman  Paul 
Jones,  and  professes  to  be  a  sequel  to  Fenimore 
Cooper's  "Pilot."  Although  Alphonse  Karr  in  "Les 
Guepes "  makes  fun  of  the  sea-terms  employed  in 
the  story,  the  comparative  non-success  of  the  book 
is  due  rather  to  the  fact  that  Dumas,  in  his  admira- 
tion for  the  American  novelist,  was  working  with 
unfamiliar  and  uncongenial  material.  The  plot 
seems  to  have  been  suo-o-ested  to  him.  "  Dauzats  in- 
venit,  Dumas  sculpsit,"  he  wrote.  He  was  more 
successful,  two  years  later,  with  the  "  Aventures  de 
John  Davys,"  a  book  somewhat  after  the  manner  of 
Defoe.  Thackeray  in  the  Revtie  Britainiiqiic  for 
1847  accused  Dumas  of  having  stolen  half  of  it 
from  another  book,  which  he  did  not  specify.  Cher- 
buliez,  a  contemporary  critic,  who  was  usually  severe 
on  our  author,  admitted  that  the  book  could  be 
numbered  amonost  the  best  and  most  amusinir  of 
his  early  works. 

Three  other  books  published  in  1840  deserve 
attention,  although  not  one  of  them  is  accessible  in 


192  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

English.  Of  these  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  is 
"  Maitre  Adam,  le  Calabrais,"  which  is  unknown  to 
many  of  the  admirers  of  the  romancer,  even  to 
those  who  pursue  him  in  the  huge  list  of  Calmann- 
Levy.  According  to  his  witty  epilogue,  Dumas 
first  heard  the  story  from  the  lips  of  a  peasant  at 
Mugnano  ;  but  the  intimate  knowledge  of  Calabrian 
life,  customs,  and  superstitions  displayed  suggests  the 
assistance  of  Fiorentino,  Dumas's  Italian  assistant. 
The  result  is  an  admirable  story,  told  in  most 
humorous  fashion. 

The  "  Maitre  d'Armes,"  the  second  book  of  this 
trio,  Mr  Saintsbury  has  pronounced  "very  poor 
stuff"  Yet  it  was  translated  by  a  peer  of  the  realm, 
and  has  been  issued  also  for  the  use  of  schools.  We 
fancy  that  on  this  occasion  our  author  is  to  be  taken 
more  literally  than  usual  in  his  explanation  of  the 
story's  origin.  Dumas  supplied  an  introductory 
page  to  his  friend  Grisier's  journal  of  a  visit  to  St 
Petersburg,  and  possibly  selected  passages  and  re- 
wrote them.  "  The  public  are  warned  that  nothing 
of  what  follows  is  mine,"  writes  Dumas,  "not  even 
the  title."  That  is  plain  enough,  and  the  internal  evi- 
dence proves  it.  The  story  of  the  exiling  of  a 
Russian  noble  for  complicity  in  the  plot  of  1825,^ 
and  of  the  devotion  of  the  mistress  who  followed 
him  to  far  Siberia,  forms  only  a  minor  portion  of 

^  The  plot  forms  the  subject  of  Jokai's  romance,  "  The  Green  Book. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  193 

the  book,  and  is  not  developed,  as  Dumas  would 
have  found  himself  forced  to  develop  anything  of 
his  own.  It  may  be  added,  that  during  his  travels 
in  Russia  in  1858,  our  author  was  introduced  to  the 
hero  and  heroine  of  the  adventure.  The  book  had 
the  honour  of  being  forbidden  in  Russia. 

The  remaining  work  of  this  year  was  "  Le  Capi- 
taine  Pamphile,"  which  narrates  the  adventures  of  a 
sort  of  nautical  Crusoe  in  northern  America.  It 
should  appeal  particularly  to  children,  for  whom  it 
was  written,  and  if  the  entertaining  digres- 
sions respecting  the  author's  pets  be  forgiven  or 
skipped,  the  rest  of  the  book  will  be  found  capital 
reading.  The  note  of  humour  in  Dumas,  which 
appears  first  in  this  book  and  in  "  Maitre  Adam,"  is 
not  too  frequently  present  in  his  later  works. 

Yet  it  is  rather  gaiety  than  any  other  quality 
which  pervades  the  only  attempt  at  story-telling 
made  by  Dumas  during  1841  and  1842.  It  may  be 
remembered  that  he  was  busy  writing  his  three 
comedies  for  the  Theatre  Frangais  at  this  time, 
and  also  his  "  Impressions  de  Voyage  "in  the  south 
of  France  and  Mediterranean.  At  Marseilles,  Dumas 
and  his  friend  Mery  enjoyed  an  experience  which 
each  utilised  in  his  own  way.  Hayward,  in  his 
essay  on  our  author,  says,  "  One  of  the  most  amus- 
ing stories  composed  by  Dumas  is  '  La  Chasse  au 
Chastre,'  in  which  he  depicts  the  trials  and  perils 


194  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

into  which  a  wortliy  professor  of  music  is  hurried,  by 
the  reckless  pursuit  of  a  field-fare."  Gautier  in  one 
of  his  books  refers  to  "  that  c/iasire,  whose  adven- 
tures Dumas  has  told  so  vivaciously  and  wittily." 
The  two  authors  heard  the  story  from  the  lips  of 
the  unfortunate  musician  himself,  and  "  de  Mire- 
court's  "  assertion  that  Dumas  stole  the  tale  from 
Mery  is  disproved  by  that  writer  in  the  preface  to 
his  own  version. 

"  Le  Chateau  d'Eppstein  "  or  "  Albine  "  was  the 
outcome  of  a  social  gathering  at  Florence  in  1841, 
and  was  told  to  Dumas  and  the  company  by  one 
of  the  guests.  That  is  our  author's  explanation  : 
his  "  commentators  "  declare  "  Albine  "  to  be  a  story 
of  the  Rhineland  (title  and  author  not  given). 
"  Jacquot  sans  Oreilles  " — not,  one  is  disappointed 
to  find,  a  pillorying  of  M.  "  de  Mirecourt" — was 
similarly  "supplied  "  to  Dumas  by  an  officer  whose 
acquaintance  he  made  during  his  Russian  travels 
in  1858.  The  "  Aventures  de  Lyderic "  which 
appeared  in  1842,  is  the  story  of  Siegfried,  made 
familiar  to  the  public  by  Wagner. 

We  now  enter  upon  the  most  important  period  of 
our  author's  career  as  a  writer  of  romance.  Up  to 
this  time  he  has  possessed  some  very  praiseworthy 
ideals,  but  has  failed  to  devote  much  care — except, 
perhaps,  in  the  case  of  "  Acte  " — to  the  realisation 
of  them.     We  have  seen   him  displaying  wit  and 


ALEXANDRE  DUiMAS  195 

humour,  skill  in  picturesque  narrative,  and  his 
native  sense  of  the  dramatic,  but  all  without  any 
very  definite  aim.  He  had  vowed,  he  tells  us,  to 
write  the  history  of  France  in  fiction,  but,  as  we 
have  seen,  he  had  made  little  progress. 

At  this  juncture  the  great  man  made  the 
acquaintance  of  an  unknown,  unappreciated  writer, 
named  Auguste  Maquet.  The  latter  wrote  a  short 
story,  in  which  he  had  great  faith,  and  had  the 
mortification  of  seeing  it  refused  by  an  editor.  Let 
Charles  Reade  (who  supplies  these  details,  in  his 
"  Eighth  Commandment  ")  take  up  the  story  : 

"As  Maquet  paced  the  boulevards,  smarting,  he 
met  Dumas,  who  asked  him  if  he  had  nothing  '  by 
him.' 

"'I  have  only  the  "  Bonhomme  Buvat,"  '  said 
Maquet,  sorrowfully. 

"  Dumas  pricked  up  his  ears.  '  That  is  a  good 
title,'  he  said.  '  Come,  tell  me  something  about 
your  "  Bonhomme."  ' 

"  Maquet  glowed,  and  poured  out  a  part  of  his 
story. 

"' That  will  do:  send  me  the  manuscript,'  said 
Dumas.      '  I  am  off  to  Italy  to-night.' 

"  Dumas  took  the  '  Buvat '  with  him,  worked  on 
him,  and  in  a  few  weeks  it  came  out  and  charmed 
all  Europe  as  the  *  Chevalier  d'Harmental.'  " 

"And  then,"   adds  Readc,    "  began  that  intellcc- 


196  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

tual  alliance  to  which  the  world  owes  the  most  bril- 
liant romances  of  the  century." 

The  episode  of  "  The  good-man  Buvat"  will  be 
remembered  by  readers  of  this  romance  (known  also 
as  "The  Conspirators").  It  is  a  clever  piece  of 
character-drawing,  but  has  only  a  slight-connection 
with  the  main  plot.  The  Cellemare  conspiracy  has 
provided  the  principal  theme. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  of  Dumas's  stories,  and 
is  not  yet  fully  appreciated.  Thackeray  refers  to  it 
admiringly  in  his  "  Roundabout  Papers  "  ;  and  Mr. 
Saintsbury  commends  it  as  the  most  perfect  of  its 
author's  novels  in  form — for  unhappily  Dumas  was 
not  always  particular  about  unity  and  completeness. 
The  contrast  between  the  witty,  voluptuous  society 
of  the  Regency  and  the  fresh,  innocent  life  of 
Bathilde,  is  admirable  in  taste  and  effect.  Captain 
Roquefinette  is  the  first  (off  the  stage)  of  the  ad- 
venturers who  occupy  such  a  large  place  in  Du- 
mas's gallery  of  portraits.  He  dies  finely,  too,  as 
do  his  comrades  who  come  after  him — Porthos, 
D'Artagnan,  Maison-Rouge,  La  Mole,  "  Morgan,'' 
Banniere,  and  the  rest. 

"  Une  Fille  du  Regent,"  a  sequel  to  the  "Cheva- 
lier," was  published  two  or  three  yearslater  by  the 
same  collaborators.  It  contains  one  entertaining 
episode  (treating  of  the  Cellamare  conspirators,  and 
their  life  in  the   Bastille);    but  it  is    the    plot    of 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  197 

**  D'Harmenthal  "  again,  with  judicious  variations. 
Worse  still,  there  is  a  gloomy  note  of  fatalism 
throughout  the  whole  story.  Nevertheless,  "  Une 
Fille  du  Regent  "  is  well  worth  reading,  if  only  for 
the  study  of  Dubois,  the  Regent's  minister,  which 
shows  Dumas's  talent  for  intrigue  at  its  best. 

"Georges,"  which  also  dates  from  1843,  is  a 
story  of  Mauritius,  or  the  "He  de  France,"  and  is 
probably  the  work  of  our  author  In  combination 
with  some  "  'prentice  "  who  knew  the  colony.  This 
may  or  may  not  have  been  Mallefille,  to  whom  the 
credit  of  the  whole  work  has  charitably  been  given. 
But  the  hero,  \vho  suffers  social  ostracism  for  the 
black  blood  in  his  veins  ;  the  hero,  who  allows 
nothing  to  stand  between  himself  and  his  desires — 
in  short,  "  Dumas-Antony," — betrays  his  origin 
unmistakably.  With  the  struggle  between  the 
French  and  English  for  that  tropical  paradise  the 
novelist  has  interwoven  a  revolt  of  the  slaves,  told 
with  great  dramatic  force  and  truth,  and  a  love  story. 

"  Cecile,"  or"  La  Robe  de  Noce,"  is  chiefly  inter- 
esting as  affording  a  first  glimpse,  in  the  author's 
writings,  of  the  days  of  Revolution,  afterwards  to  be 
turned  to  such  full  and  effective  account.  So 
popular  was  this  pathetic  story  that  two  pirated 
editions  were  Issued  in  Belgium  in  the  course  of  a 
few  months.  "  Cecile  "  dates  from  "  the  great  year," 
1844,  ^s  does  "  Fernande,"  which  has  been  claimed 


198  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

by  M.  Hippolyte  Auger  as  at  least  half  his  own. 
It  is  impossible  to  test  the  truth  of  that  author's 
assertions  at  this  remote  date,  so  that  the  degree  of 
blame — if  any — which  can  attach  to  Dumas  cannot 
now  be  measured,  but  we  may  add  that  we  believe 
the  story  is  not  the  great  writer's.  "  Amaury  "  was 
also  published  about  this  time,  and  Dumas  gives 
an  account  of  its  orio^in  in  which  he  disavows  the 
authorship  ;  but  it  may  or  may  not  be  genuine,  for 
he  always  delighted  in  this  form  of  mystification. 
It  is  probably  true  that  M.  Paul  Meurice  wrote  the 
story  with  Dumas,  for  the  style  is  not  our  author's. 
He  has  told  us,  however,  that  it  was  suggested  by 
the  case  of  his  friend  Felix  Deviolaine,  who  was 
consumptive,  and  who,  happily,  recovered ;  but 
in  the  story  Madeleine  D'Avrigny  is  not  cured, 
and  so  faithful  and  poignant  was  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  malady's  progress  that  one  M.  Noailles, 
whose  daughter  was  also  suffering  from  the  disease, 
appealed  to  the  author  to  suspend  the  serial  publica- 
tion of  "Amaury,"  if  Madeleine  was  meant  to  die. 
Th.Qfciu'ilctou  was  therefore  suspended  until  after  the 
poor  girl's  death,  and  the  kind-hearted  Dumas  went 
so  far  as  to  improvise  in  manuscript  a  miraculous 
recovery  and  happy  fate  for  the  poor  heroine,  for  the 
especial  benefit  of  the  doomed  girl  and  her  husband. 
One  of  the  best  of  Dumas's  minor  romances  is 
that  of  "  Sylvandire,"  at  one  time  known  in  England 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  100 

as  "  Beau  Tancrede."  Its  historical  interest  is 
slight,  but  it  affords  a  glimpse  of  the  court  of  Louis 
XIV.  in  his  latter  days,  under  the  domination  of 
Madame  de  Maintenon.  Chronologically  "  Sylvan- 
dire  "  precedes  the  "  Chevalier  d'Harmenthal,"  and 
possesses  many  of  the  merits  of  that  romance.  It 
h^is  little  or  nothing  of  the  pretty  sentiment  of 
Bathilde's  love  story,  but  instead,  is  told  with  much 
ironic  humour. 

M.  About,  at  the  unveiling  of  the  Dumas  statue 
in  Paris,  told  a  story  of  M.  Sarcey,  who  was  in  the 
same  class  at  school  with  a  little  Spanish  boy.  The 
child  was  homesick  ;  he  could  not  eat,  he  could  not 
sleep  ;  he  was  almost  in  a  decline. 

"  You  want  to  see  your  mother  ? "  said  young 
Sarcey. 

"  No  :  she  is  dead." 

"  Your  father,  then  ?  " 

"  No  :  he  used  to  beat  me." 

"  Your  brothers  and  sisters  ?" 

"  I  have  none." 

"  Then  why  are  you  so  eager  to  be  back  in 
Spain  ?  " 

"To  finish  a  book  I  began  in  the  holidays." 

"  And  what  was  its  name  ?  " 

"  *  Los  Tres  Mosqueteros  ! " 

"  He  was  homesick  for  '  The  Three  Musketeers' 
(says  Mr.  Lang),  "and  they  cured  him  easily." 


200  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

That  boy  would  almost  seem  to  have  been  the 
young  Castelar,  the  great  Spanish  orator,  statesman, 
and  author,  for  he  has  written  of  the  famous  story 
in  manner  quite  as  fervent : 

"  I  can  never  forget  the  impression  left  upon  my 
mind  by  the  reading  of  that  book.  The  characters 
are  life-like,  and  stand  out  in  such  high  relief,  that 
I  seemed  to  see  them,  to  speak  to  them,  to  dis- 
tinguish their  features  and  manners,  and  even  to 
compare  them  with  real  persons  among  my  acquaint- 
ances. So  absorbing  was  my  interest  in  the  story, 
that  I  watched  for  each  new  number  with  feverish 
impatience,  to  read  the  end  of  these  adventures,  as 
if  they  were  intimately  connected  with  some  one 
beloved,  with  my  former  friends,  with  my  nearest 
relations,  with  my  own  soul.  .  .  .  That  exciting 
narrative ;  that  flashing  style  ;  those  characters, 
so  boldly  described ;  those  scenes,  so  marvellously 
woven  together  ;  that  ever-increasing  interest  in  the 
story — all  this  worked  upon  my  imagination,  and 
by  the  magic  of  art  the  fictitious  world  was  changed 
into  the  world  of  truth  and  poetry,  and  became  as 
real  as  society  or  as  nature." 

Is  there  any  man  who  has  not  read  "  The  Three 
Musketeers"?  It  has  become  one  of  the  world's 
books.  As  Mery,  Dumas's  fast  friend,  jestingly 
put  it, 

"  If  there  exists  a  second  Robinson  Crusoe  in  any 
part  of  the  world  at  this  moment,  be  sure  that  the 


ALEXANDRE   DUMAS  201 

exile  is  vvhiling  away  his  solitude  reading  '  Les 
Trois  Mousquetaires,'  under  the  shade  of  his  parrot- 
feathered  umbrella." 

In  his  preface  to  the  romance,  Dumas  has  con- 
fessed the  chief  source  of  his  inspiration — Courtils 
de  Sandraz's  "  Memoires  de  D'Artagnan,"  which  in 
turn  was  probably  more  than  half-fiction,  although, 
of  course,  a  soldier  of  that  name  lived,  fought, 
sinned,  and  died  in  those  times.  "  I  think  I  like 
DArtagnan  in  his  own  'Memoires'  best,"  wrote 
Thackeray.  Mr  Lang  does  not  agree  with  him, 
nor,  if  we  may  add  our  testimony,  do  we.  To  read 
the  "Memoires"  and  then  the  romance  is  to  undergo 
a  revelation.  Mingled  with  this  sordid  story  of 
closet- intrigue  and  kitchen-amours,  Dumas,  with 
his  keen  scent  for  the  picturesque,  found  excellent 
material  for  a  splendid  story ;  and  his  admirable 
taste  is  shown  not  only  in  what  has  been  utilised, 
but  in  what  has  been  omitted.  Only  one  question- 
able incident  has  been  employed,  and  that  because 
it  has  an  important  bearing  on  the  plot  of  the 
romance  and  its  sequel.  "It  has  passed  through 
a  medium,  as  Dumas  himself  declared,  of  natural 
delicacy  and  good  taste."  These  chapters  about 
Kitty  and  Miladi,  Sir  Merbert  Maxwell  reminds 
us,  in  his  article  on  "  The  Real  DArtagnan,"  did 
not  escape  their  author's  criticism. 

"It   is   told   that    Dumas    in    after-life   expressed 


202  LIFE  AND  AVRITINGS  OF 

bitter  regret  that  the  said  episode  had  not  been 
omitted,  with  the  rest  of  Hke  nature ;  and  there  is 
evidence  given  by  M.  E.  de  Goncourt  of  how 
greatly  Dumas  differed  in  taste  on  these  matters 
from  less  scrupulous  French  writers.  M.  de  Goncourt 
tells  us  that  he  once  heard  Victor  Huc:o  declare 
that,  had  he  not  been  above  filching  from  other 
authors,  he  must  have  yielded  to  the  temptation 
to  appropriate  the  story  of  '  Ketty,'  '  ct  de  hd  douncr 
une  forme  ddi'L'  'Think,'  exclaimed  Hugo,  'of 
the  marvellously  human  ddiioiluicnt,  far  finer  than 
any  dthioil^ment  of  the  utmost  realism  ! '  ^  It  is  not 
difficult  to  imagine  to  what  luxuriance  these 
materials  might  have  blossomed,  under  the  florid 
touch  of  Victor  Hugo." 

M.  Parigot  recommends  students  of  Dumas  to 
make  the  comparison  between  the  romance  and 
the  "  Memoires,"  and  judge  for  themselves  how 
the  man  of  imacrination  has  o-lorified  the  material 
he  worked  on.  "  Dumas  borrowed,  but  Dumas 
selected,"  he  adds. 

We  may  supplement  this  opinion  with  a  short 
comparison  of  our  own.  Briefly,  Dumas  owes 
"D'Artagnan,"  first,  the  facts  of  the  hero's  life, 
so  far  as  they  concern  history.  '  All  these  are 
retained,  and  the  famous  character  goes  through  the 

^  This  incident  is  not  to  be  found,  as  the  reader  will  infer,  in 
Dumas's  romance. 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  -03 

very  necessary  process  of  renovation,  elaboration, 
and  elevation. 

The  names  —  and  little  else  —  of  the  three 
"  brothers  -  in  -  war "  are  to  be  found  in  the 
"  Memoires."  Athos,  Porthos,  and  Aramis  are 
but  shadows,  and  the  little  that  we  do  learn  of 
them  there  is  not  exactly  to  their  credit.  They 
are  actually  brothers  ;  whereas  the  romancer  by 
making  them  brothers -in -heart  gains  enormously 
in  effect. 

Roughly  speaking,  Dumas  has  expanded,  in  the 
first  six  chapters  of  the  "  INIousquetaires,"  the  opening 
chapters  of  "  DArtagnan."  "The  man  of  Meung," 
the  hero's  evil  genius,  was  evidently  suggested  by 
an  aristocrat  named  Rosnay,  with  whom  the  real 
DArtagnan  had  an  encounter  early  in  his  career,  and 
who  figures  throughout  as  a  coward,  who  endea- 
vours to  get  DArtagnan  assassinated.  In  a  later 
part  of  the  "  Memoires"  a  hint  is  given  that  Louis 
XIII.'s  Chancellor,  Seguier,  once  attempted  to 
take  from  the  Queen  a  letter  concealed  upon  her 
person.  In  "  DArtagnan  "  the  letter  was  suspected 
to  be  from  Spain,  and  political ;  in  Dumas  it  was 
thought  to  be  from  Buckingham,  Anne's  secret 
lover.  The  most  important  extract  from  the 
"Memoires"  concerns  "  Miladi,"  and  our  author 
has  borrowed  freely  from  the  young  cadet's  amour 
with    the  beautiful   Englishwoman.      The  chapters 


204  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

describing  the  intrigue,  D'Artagnan's  rivalry  with 
De  Wardes,  his  subterfuges,  and  "affair"  with  the 
chambermaid,  are  mostly  "  fact "  ;  but  strange  to 
say,  Dumas  entirely  ignored  the  real  beginning  of 
this,   DArtagnan's  greatest  "passion." 

The  story  is  interesting.  The  musketeer  had  just 
returned  from  England  (where  he  had  fought  with 
Charles  at  the  battle  of  Newbury),  when  he  was 
sent  for  by  the  exiled  Queen,  and  questioned  con- 
cerning his  visit.  The  too-candid  youth  declared, 
in  the  course  of  the  interview,  that  "  he  would  as 
soon  live  with  bears  as  with  the  English  "  ;  and  this 
so  deeply  provoked  one  of  the  Queen's  maids-of- 
honour,  that  she  sent  DArtagnan,  after  the  forward 
fashion  of  the  time,  an  invitation  to  pay  court  to  her. 
The  soldier  readily  responded,  and  fell  straightway 
in  love.  When,  however,  he  at  length  avowed  his 
passion,  "  Miladi"  coolly  informed  him  that  she  had 
acted  thus  in  order  to  punish  him  for  his  abuse 
of  her  countrymen,  and  proceeded  to  mock  him 
pitilessly.  The  story  of  his  revenge  is  told  by 
Dumas,  to  whose  imagination,  however,  is  due 
the  incident  of  the  fieui'-de-lis,  and  all  the  tragic 
sequel. 

These  detailed  comparisons  may,  perhaps,  be 
more  interestingly  summed  up  in  a  few  words. 
From  the  loose,  casual  jottings  of  a  soldier,  telling 
of  his  aniours,  his  campaigns,  and  the  politics  of  his 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  205 

day,  Dumas  extracted,  by  some  wonderful  mental 
process,  a  stirring  and  dramatic  story,  full  of  incident 
and  character.  Of  the  spiteful  wanton  "  Miladi  "  he 
made  a  powerful  and  tragic  figure ;  and  the  three  names 
Athos,  Porthos,  and  Aramis,  in  his  hands,  assumed 
individualities  and  became  immortal.  The  whole 
plot  concerning  the  Queen's  studs,  the  sad  story  of 
Constance  Bonacieux,  the  tragedy  of  Fenton  and 
Buckingham — all  these  were  either  devised  in  the 
French  novelist's  fertile  brain,  or  skilfully  introduced 
by  him  into  the  framework  provided  for  him  by  the 
"  Memoires."  After  the  first  six  chapters  (of  which 
the  dialogue,  wit,  and  character-drawing  were  wholly 
his  own),  Dumas  launched  out  for  himself,  and  the 
plot  begins. 

Our  author,  too,  makes  use  in  this  and  subsequent 
romances,  of  Madame  de  la  Fayette's  "  Histoire 
d'Henriette  d'Angleterre,"  and  also  of  the  court 
chroniques  of  the  time,  omitting  to  avail  himself  of 
their  most  scandalous  passages.  He  borrows  from 
La  Porte's  memoirs  the  incident  of  Bonacieux's 
abduction  ;  he  finds  the  faint  outline  of  his  episode 
of  the  Bastion  St  Gervais,  in  an  account  of  a  scene 
at  the  siege  of  Casal  in  1630.  To  Maquet  probably 
belongs  the  credit  of  discovering  these  picturesque 
incidents ;  to  Dumas  the  glory  of  giving  them 
colour,  shape,  and  life     on  his  great  canvas. 

Of  the  other  source  of  information — the  "Memoires 


206  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

de  M.  le  Comte  de  la  Fere,"  nothing  can  be  said  here, 
for  a  very  excellent  reason.  When  Dumas  had  the 
audacity  to  ask  at  the  Bibliotheque  Royale  for  that 
book,  the  librarian  retorted,  "You  know  that  it 
doesn't  exist,  because  you  yourself  have  said  it 
does!"  Indeed,  the  good  man's  sharpness  was 
natural ;  since  the  publication  of  tlie  "  Mousque- 
taires  "  he  had  been  appealed  to  perpetually  for  the 
book,  by  readers  eager  for  "  more  "  ! 

Mr  Saintsbury  complains  that  there  is  no  central 
idea  in  "  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires,"  and  indeed  there 
are  at  least  two  main  plots.  Professor  Carpenter 
even  analyses  the  story  into 

"  A  series  of  smaller  tales  (they  are  more  like  plays), 
each  a  hundred  pages  or  so  in  length.  In  '  Les 
Trois  Mousquetaires "  the  main  problem  is  this, 
How  can  four  adventurers,  by  their  combined  force, 
outwit  The  Cardinal  and  all  his  powers,  temporal 
and  spiritual?  Viz.  (i)  How  can  a  friendless  and 
awkward  but  dashing  young  Gascon  become  in 
three  days  the  talk  of  Paris  and  a  sworn  companion 
of  the  best  three  blades  in  the  city }  (2)  The 
Queens  honour  is  at  stake  ;  how  can  this  band  of 
brothers  fetch   her  jewels   from    England    in   time.'* 

(3)  U Artagnan  is  fascinated  by  Milady  :  how  can 
his   reckless   passion   be   turned   to   hate   and   fear-f* 

(4)  Milady,  with  good  reason,  is  determined  on 
D' Artagnan  s  death,  Richelieu-  on  BtLckinghani  s  as- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  207 

sassination  :  how  can  bolh  catastrophes  be  averted? 
(5)  Milady  is  a  prisoner  in  England  :  how  can  she 
escape  and  murder  Buckingham  ?  (6)  How  can 
the  '  brothers  '  avenge  their  wrongs  on  Milady,  and 
avoid  tlie  punishment  of  the  Cardinal,  whose  agent 
she  is  ?" 

But  it  is  obviously  wrong  to  treat  a  book  of 
adventure  as  if  it  were  an  ordinary  novel.  We  do 
not  expect  a  central  plot  in  "Don  Quixote,"  "Robin- 
son Crusoe,"  or  "Gil  Bias." 

Every  lover  of  the  "  Mousquetaires "  has  his 
own  particular  hero,  in  one  of  the  famous  four. 
Thackeray,  for  instance,  writes  : 

"  Of  your  heroic  heroes,  I  think  our  friend 
Monseigneur  Athos,  Count  de  la  Fere,  is  my 
favourite.  I  have  read  about  him  from  sunrise  to 
sunset  with  the  utmost  contentment  of  mind.  He 
has  passed  through  how  many  volumes  .^  Forty  "^ 
Fifty.'*  I  wish,  for  my  part,  there  were  a  hundred 
more,  and  would  never  tire  of  him  rescuing  prisoners, 
punishing  ruffians,  and  running  scoundrels  through 
the  midriff  with  his  most  graceful  rapier.  Ah  ! 
Athos,  Porthos,  and  Aramis,  you  are  a  magnificent 
trio." 

Stevenson  had  a  weakness  for  Porthos.  "  If," 
he  wrote  to  a  friend,  "  by  any  sacrifice  of  my  own 
literary  baggage  I  could  clear  the  '  Vicomte  de 
Bragelonne '  of  Porthos,  Jckyll  might  go,  and  the 


208  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Master,  and  the  Black  Arrow,  you  may  be  sure, 
and  I  should  think  my  life  not  lost  for  mankind  if 
half  a  dozen  more  of  my  volumes  must  be  thrown 
in." 

Dumas  himself  shared  this  feeling.  The  great, 
strong,  vain  hero  was  a  child  after  his  own  heart. 
One  afternoon  his  son,  seeing  him"  looking  careworn, 
wretched,  overwhelmed,  asked  him, 

"  What  has  happened  to  you  }     Are  you  ill  .'* " 

"No." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  then  ? 

"  I  am  miserable." 

"Why?" 

"  This  morning,  I  killed  Porthos — poor  Porthos! 
Oh  what  trouble  I  have  had,  to  make  up  my  mind 
to  do  it !  But  there  must  be  an  end  to  all  things. 
Yet  when  I  saw  him  sink  beneath  the  ruins,  crying 
*  ]t  is  too  heavy,  too  heavy  for  me  ! '  I  swear  to  you 
that  I  cried." 

And  he  wiped  away  a  tear  with  the  sleeve  of  his 
dressing-gown. 

We  have  glided  Insensibly  into  "Vingt  Ans 
Apres"  and  the  "  Vicomte  de  Bragelonne,"  for  it  is 
the  DArtagnan  of  this  last  of  the  series  whom 
Steven'^on  has  so  eloquently  proclaimed  as  his  hero. 
In  his  essay  "On  a  Romance  of  Dumas's "  in 
"  Memories  and  Portraits,"  he  writes  of  him  thus  : 

"It  is  in  the   character  of  DArtas^nan,  that  we 


_^  ,.4^mmmMmtlmHltmtm 


fc^'.:>.-x.^--^' 


1)  akta(tNax.     fkom  thk  uu jrAs  monument. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  209 

must  look  for  that  spirit  of  morality,  which  is  one 
of  the  chief  merits  of  the  book,  makes  one  of 
the  main  joys  of  its  perusal,  and  sets  it  high  above 
more  popular  rivals.  Athos,  with  the  coming  of 
years,  has  declined  too  much  into  the  preacher,  and 
the  preacher  of  a  sapless  creed  ;  but  DArtagnan 
has  mellowed  into  a  man  so  witty,  rough,  kind  and 
upright,  that  he  takes  the  heart  by  storm.  There  is 
nothing  of  the  copybook  about  his  virtues,  nothing 
of  the  drawing-room  in  his  fine,  natural  civility  ;  he 
will  sail  near  the  wind  ;  he  is  no  district  visitor — no 
Wesley  or  Robespierre  ;  his  conscience  is  void  of  all 
refinement  whether  for  good  or  evil ;  but  the  whole 
man  rings  true  like  a  good  sovereign.  I  do  not  say 
there  is  no  character  as  well-drawn  in  Shakespeare ; 
I  do  say  there  is  none  that  I  love  so  wholly. 
There  are  many  spiritual  eyes  that  seem  to  spy 
upon  our  actions — eyes  of  the  dead  and  the  absent, 
whom  we  imagine  to  behold  us  in  our  most  private 
hours,  and  whom  we  fear  and  scruple  to  offend  ;  our 
witnesses  and  judges.  And  among  these,  even  if 
you  should  think  me  childish,  I  must  count  my 
DArtagnan — not  the  DArtagnan  of  the  memoirs, 
whom  Thackeray  pretended  to  prefer — a  preference, 
I  take  the  freedom  of  saying,  in  which  he  stands 
alone — not  the  DArtagnan  of  tiesh  and  blood,  but 

him    of    the    ink    and    paper ;     not    Nature's    but 

D>    )» 
umas  s. 

o 


210  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

One  secret  of  the  charm  of  the  four  musketeers  Is 
perhaps  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  they  stand  for 
types  of  the  great  national  characteristics.  Says 
Parlgrot : 

"  D'Artagnan,  the  adroit  Gascon,  caressing  his 
moustache;  Porthos,  the  muscular  and  fooHsh;  Athos, 
the  somewhat  romantic  'grand  seigneur,'  Aramis, 
who  pinches  his  ear  to  make  it  red, — Aramis,  the 
discreet  Aramis,  who  hides  his  reHglon  and  his 
amours,  able  pupil  of  the  good  fathers — these  four 
friends,  and  not  four  brothers  as  Courtils  imagined, 
typify  the  four  cardinal  qualities  of  our  country.  .  .  . 
If  Danton  and  Napoleon  were  the  prototypes  of 
French  energy,  Dumas,  in  '  Les  Trois  Mousque- 
taires '  Is  its  national  historian.  His  romance  is 
quite  as  dramatic  as  theirs,  but  more  pleasant,  and 
with  a  more  continuous  charm." 

The  origin  of  the  two  sequels  has  already  been 
partly  Indicated.  It  Is  said  that  Dumas  fils, 
frightened  at  the  thought  of  the  prodigious  task 
which  the  rash  author  set  himself,  asked  his  father 

*'  In  spite  of  the  help  of  Madame  de  La  Fayette, 
who  furnishes  you  with  the  name  and  first-love  of 
Athos's  son,  how  will  you  manage  to  keep  up  the 
interest  through  these  innumerable  volumes  ?  " 

*' Oh,  well,"  answered  his  father,  "all  that 
happened  to  Athos  will  happen  over  again  to  his 
son. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  211 

But  (not  for  the  first  time)  Dumas  did  himself  an 
injustice.  One  has  no  feehng-  of  repetition  about 
"  Bragelonne."  If  it  is,  as  some  critics  assert,  "full 
of  improbabilities,"  it  is  yet  very  faithful  to  the 
chronicles  of  the  court.  "  Those  who  rai^e  about 
the  far-fetched  incidents,"  writes  M.  Parigot,  "with 
which  these  romances  of  Dumas  are  simply 
crammed,  make  us  smile.  Have  they  never  read 
the  history  written  by  Madame  de  La  Fayette.^ 
And  Gulche  in  the  chimney.'^  And  the  women 
spies  ?  And  the  caskets  of  Malicorne  ?  And  the 
plots  of  de  Wardes  ?  " 

The  Trilogy  of  the  Four  is,  after  all,  one  great 
prose  epic  on  friendship — the  love  of  man  for  man. 
Professor  Carpenter  has  seen  this  clearly,  and 
expressed  it  well  : 

"  So  far  as  I  am  concerned  there  is  no  more 
poignant  scene  in  literature  than  that  in  which, 
after  twenty  years  of  separation,  the  four  who  once 
were  but  a  single  will  and  a  single  force — hence, 
dauntless  and  invincible — found  in  the  gloom  of 
battle  their  swords  clash  on  those  of  their  peers, 
and  realised  that  they  were  arrayed  against  each 
other.  How  paltry  beside  this  seem  lovers' 
quarrels !  And  yet  there  is  nothing  of  the  mock- 
heroic  in  Dumas's  treatment  of  the  famous  friend- 
ship. These  were  men  of  clay,  prone  to  vice  and 
error,  redeemed  only  by  their  sense  of  the  sacred- 


212  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

ness  of  the  strongest  human  tie,  save  that  of 
family." 

The  same  writer  also  notices  with  what  un- 
conscious skill  the  characters  of  the  musketeers 
are  developed : 

"  These  men  grow,  not  of  the  author's  set 
purpose,  in  the  ordinary  fashion,  according  to  a 
rule  of  logic,  but  as  men  grow  in  life,  naturally. 
He  (Dumas)  could  not  have  planned  it;  at  the 
proper  time  he  simply  knew  it.  The  Atkos,  the 
PortJios,  the  Aramis,  and  the  DArtagnan  of  '  Le 
Vicomte  de  Braqfelonne "  are  not  those  of  *  Les 
Trois  Mousquetaires,'  or  even  of  '  Vingt  Ans 
Apres.'  But  the  author  does  not  inform  us  of  it, 
except  in  a  single  case,  and  then  he  is  evidently  as 
surprised  as  we  are.  They  grow,  and  if  they  are 
honest  men  they  grow  better,  on  stepping-stones  of 
their  own  baser  selves.  .  .  .  These  novels  show 
more  than  the  growth  of  man.  They  represent  the 
slow  development  of  a  race  and  nation.  Like 
Gibbon  or  Michelet,  Dumas  had  a  genius  for 
history.  France  under  Charles  IX.  and  Henry 
III.,  France  under  Louis  XIV.,  France  in  the 
Revolution — he  knew  them,  and  felt  them  to  the 
core.'  His  chronology  may  be  weak  and  his  facts 
faulty,  the  young  doctor  of  philosophy  may  find 
flaws  in  every  chapter,  but  the  great  laws  he 
follows,  so  far  as  I  can  see :  the  types  are  sound." 


ALEXANDRE  JJUJMAS  213 

Let  us  limit  ourselves  to  the  quotation  of  two 
passages  from  Stevenson,  endorsing  this  opinion. 
He  is  still  writing  of  "  my  dear  '  Vicomte,' "  as  he 
called  him  : 

*'  What  other  novel  has  such  epic  variety  and 
nobility  of  incident?  Often,  if  you  will,  impossible; 
often  of  the  order  of  an  Arabian  story  ;  and  yet  all 
based  in  human  nature  ?  Not  studied  with  the 
microscope,  but  seen  largely,  in  plain  daylight, 
with  the  natural  eye  ?  What  novel  has  more  good 
sense,  and  gaiety,  and  wit,  and  unflagging,  admir- 
able literary  skill  ?  And  once  more,  to  make  an 
end  of  commendations,  what  novel  is  inspired 
with  a  more  unstrained  or  a  more  wholesome 
morality  ?  There  is  no  quite  good  book  without  a 
good  morality  ;  but  the  world  is  wide,  and  so  are 
morals.  .  .  .  And  above  all,  in  this  last  volume, 
I  find  a  singular  charm  of  spirit.  It  breathes  a 
pleasant  and  a  tonic  sadness,  always  brave,  never 
hysterical.  Upon  the  crowded,  noisy  life  of  this 
long  tale,  evening  gradually  falls,  and  the  lights  are 
extinguished,  and  the  heroes  pass  away  one  by  one. 
One  by  one  they  go,  and  not  a  regret  embitters 
their  departure  ;  the  young  succeed  them  in  their 
places,  Louis  Ouatorze  is  swelling  larger  and 
shining  broader,  another  generation  and  another 
France  dawn  on  the  horizon  ;  but  for  us  and  these 
old  men  whom  we  have  loved  so  long,  the  inevitable 


214  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

end  draws  near  and  is  welcome.  To  read  this  well 
is  to  anticipate  experience.  Ah,  if  only,  when  these 
hours  of  the  long  shadows  fall  for  us  in  reality  and 
not  in  figure,  we  may  hope  to  face  them  with  a 
mind  as  quiet." 

One  day,  about  two  years  before  his  death, 
Dumas 's  son  found  him  with  a  book.       * 

"  What  are  you  reading  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  *  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires.'  I  always  promised 
myself  that  I  would  read  it  when  I  was  an  old  man, 
so  that  I  might  be  able  to  judge  of  its  merit." 

**  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  good." 

Some  days  later  the  same  thing  occurred  again, 
only  this  time  it  was  another  of  his  own  books — 
"  Monte  Cristo." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  "  asked  the  son  once 
more. 

"  Pah  !     It  isn't  as  good  as  the  'Mousquetaires!'"^ 

Nevertheless  "  Monte  Cristo,"  published  in  the 
same  year  as  the  "  Mousquetaires,"  rivalled,  and  still 

^  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  chere  was  announced,  in  the 
"Mousquetaire"  (1853),  a  romance,  "  Le  Marechal  Ferrant,"  in  4 
vols.,  "a  sequel  to  the  D'Artagnan  Cycle."  We  know  that  in  those 
days  it  was  a  frequent  practice  to  announce  books  before  they  were 
written.  What  would  not  such  an  MS.  be  worth  now,  if  it  could  be 
discovered?  The  so-called  "Stories  by  Dumas" — "Monte  (Jristo 
and  his  Wife,"  and  "  The  Son  of  Porthos  " — are,  of  course,  forgeries 
and  find  no  place  in  Calmann-Ldvy's  authorised  edition. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  215 

rivals  the  other  in  popularity.  The  two  romances 
were  in  point  of  fact  written  with  great  rapidity. 
Charles  Reade's  comment  on  the  fact  is  amusinof : 

"  This  phenomenon  astounded  costive  writers, 
and  set  them  uttering,  by  way  of  solution,  old 
wives'  fables  that  turned  the  wonder  into  an  im- 
possibility. The  account  the  authors  themselves 
(Dumas  and  Maquet)  gave  was  the  only  credible 
one.  These  works  were  flung  off  by  even  col- 
laboration of  two  most  inventive  and  rapid  writers. 
Some  of  the  work  was  written  In  almost  less  time 
than  a  single  hand  could  have  transcribed  it.  I 
believe  they  still  show  at  Trouville,  in  a  fisherman's 
cottage,  the  chamber  and  table  where  the  pair  wrote 
the  first  four  volumes  of  '  Monte  Cristo '  in  sixteen 
days.' " 

According  to  the  amiable  Ouerard  (inspired  by 
the  equally  kindly  "  de  Mirecourt  ")  "  Monte  Cristo  " 
was  written,  the  first  half  by  Fiorentino,  the  second 
by  Maquet.  "It  was  so  simple  to  believe  I  was 
the  author,  that  they  never  even  thought  of  it,"  says 
Dumas  banteringly.  He  has  given  us  his  own 
account  of  the  genesis  of  the  book,  in  his 
"  Causeries."  We  know  already  how  the  story 
got  its  "local  habitation  and  its  name";  and  the 
evolution  of  the  plot  is  no  less  interesting. 

Towards  1843  Dumas  had  agreed  with  a  firm  of 
publishers   to   supply  them   with   eight  volumes  of 


216  LIFE  AND   WRITINGS  OF 

"Impressions  de  Voyage"  through  Paris,  the  idea 
being  a  perambulatory  tour  of  the  city  from  barrier 
to  barrier,  anecdotic,  historic,  archaeological  and 
above  all,  picturesque.  But  Sue  had  just  written 
his  "  Mysteries  of  Paris,"  and  the  publishers,  anxious 
to  imitate  the  success  of  that  book,  modified  their 
idea  and  demanded  a  story  in  which  Paris  should 
be  the  background  merely.  Dumas  bethought  him 
of  an  anecdote,  twenty  pages  long,  from  the  "  Police 
devoilee"  of  Peuchet,  entitled,  "  La  Diamant  et  La 
Vengeance,"  of  which  he  had  made  a  mental  note. 
The  story  itself  he  declares  was  tout  shnplement 
idiot,  but  it  contained  the  germ  of  an  idea. 

The  first  outline  of  the  book  was  no  more  than 
this — that  a  very  rich  nobleman,  living  in  Rome, 
and  called  the  Count  of  Monte  Cristo,  should 
render  a  great  service  to  a  young  French  traveller, 
and  should  beg  him,  when  that  gentleman  desires 
to  repay  the  kindness,  to  act  as  the  Count's  guide 
when  he,  in  his  turn,  should  visit  Paris.  Vengeance 
had  inspired  this  thought,  and  when  Monte  Cristo 
"  did "  the  French  capital  he  was  to  discover 
enemies  who  were  hidden  there — his  enemies,  who 
had  condemned  him  in  his  youth  to  ten  years  of 
captivity.  His  fortune  was  to  furnish  the  Count 
with  the  means  of  revenge. 

At  this  point  Dumas  acquainted  Maquet  (who, 
as  we  know,  was  his  literary  partner  at  the  time) 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  217 

with  the  plot,  and  the  assistant  at  once  pointed  out 
that  "  the  master "  was  passing  by  the  most  inter- 
esting part  of  the  story — ^the  prologue,  in  which 
should  be  told  not  only  how  those  enemies  betrayed 
the  Count  in  his  youth,  but  also  the  story  of  his 
years  in  prison.  From  that  moment  the  story 
developed :  Dumas  seized  the  idea,  took  for  his 
text  three  cities — Marseilles,  Rome,  Paris — and  the 
romance  was  made. 

"  Monte  Cristo "  owed  part  of  its  enormous 
success  to  its  verisimilitude.  The  details  were 
most  convincing,  and  had,  indeed,  been  studied  on 
the  spot. 

"There  is  one  thing  I  cannot  do,"  Dumas  tells 
us,  in  his  preface  to  the  "  Compagnons  de  Jehu," 
"  I  cannot  write  a  book  or  a  drama  about  localities 
I  have  never  seen.  To  write  '  Christine  '  I  went  to 
Fontainebleau  ;  to  write  '  Henri  III.'  I  went  to  Blois  ; 
to  write  '  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires '  I  went  to 
Bethune  and  Boulogne  ;  to  write  '  Monte  Cristo ' 
I  returned  to  the  Catalans  and  the  Chateau  d'If. 
This  gives  such  a  character  of  truth  to  what  I 
write  that  the  personages  I  plant  in  certain  places 
seem  to  grow  there,  and  some  people  have  been  led 
to  think  they  have  actually  existed ;  in  fact,  there 
are  persons  who  say  they  have  known  them.  I  do 
not  wish  to  injure  worthy  family-men  who  live  by  the 
little  industry,  but  if  you  go  to  Marseilles  they  will 


218  LIFE  AND  WHITINGS  OF 

show  you  Morel's  house  on  the  Cours,  Mercedes' 
house  at  the  Catalans,  and  the  dungeons  of  Dantes 
and  Faria  at  the  Chateau  D'If.  When  brought  out 
'  Monte  Cristo' at  the  Theatre  Historique  I  wrote 
to  Marseilles  for  a  drawing  of  the  Chateau  D'If, 
which  they  sent  me.  I  wanted  it  for  the  scene- 
painter.  The  artist  to  whom  I  had  written  not 
only  sent  me  the  sketch,  but  he  did  more  than  I 
had  ventured  to  ask  of  him  ;  he  wrote  underneath 
it:  'View  of  the  Chateau  D'If,  on  the  side  from 
which  Dantes  was  flung.'  I  have  heard  since  that 
a  worthy  fellow,  a  guide  attached  to  the  Chateau 
D'If,  sells  pens  of  fish-bones  made  by  the  Abbe 
Faria  himself." 

One  anecdote  among  many,  will  illustrate  the 
fascination  which  this  book  possesses  for  its  readers. 
The  Academy  not  so  long  ago  quoted  an  amusing 
passage  from  a  speech  made  by  Lord  Salisbury 
at  a  literary  gathering.  The  Prime  Minister 
humorously  told  how  once  at  Sandringham,  he  was 
surprised  by  his  host,  at  half-past  four  one  morning, 
readino-  his  favourite  book  "Monte  Cristo."  The 
prince  wished  to  know  the  name  of  the  book 
which  had  dragged  the  Premier  from  his  bed 
at  such  an  hour.  Three  weeks  after  he  confessed 
to  his  guest  that  the  same  romance  had  lured  him 
from  his  bed  that  morning  half-an-hour  earlier  still ! 

"'Monte  Cristo,'"  says  Mr  Lang,  "has  the  best 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  219 

bcL-innino- — and  loses  itself  In  the  sands."  There 
is  a  ofood  deal  of  truth  in  this  :  some  of  us  believe 
that  Dumas's  reputation  suffers  rather  than  gains 
by  being  so  prominently  associated  with  a  romance, 
I)arts  of  which  are  undeniably  dull.  Mr  Saintsbury 
declares  the  second  part  to  be  too  "  Balzac-like." 
But  even  admitting  this,  admitting  also  that  the 
omnipresent  count  is  not  altogether  the  perfect 
gentleman  his  creator  seems  to  have  thought 
him ;  and  that  his  appearances  and  disappearances 
are  ultra-theatrical  at  times  ;  yet,  there  is  a  grandeur 
of  conception  about  "Monte  Cristo"  which  more 
than  redeems  it  from  these  drawbacks.  It  is 
Dumas's  "  Miserables,"  and  the  lesson  it  teaches — 
"  Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord  " — is  taught 
so  effectively,  so  honestly,  and  on  so  great  a  scale, 
that  the  book  has  a  moral  value  which  should 
preserve  it  from  oblivion  for  generations  to  come. 

"  Ascanio "  is  variously  said  to  date  from  this 
year  or  the  previous  one.  It  was  suggested 
by  Benvenuto  Cellini's  autobiography,  wherein 
one  or  two  of  the  most  improbable  incidents 
of  the  story  are  to  be  found,  notably  the  employ- 
ment of  the  head  of  the  sculptor's  gigantic  statue 
as  a  hiding-place.  The  reader  is  introduced  to 
Francois  I.,  the  monarch  of  Pavia,  and  the 
intrigues  of  his  court,  which  as  usual  with  Dumas 
are  cleverly  manipulated  to  attract  and  absorb  the 


220  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

reader.  It  should  be  added  that  our  author  in  his 
"Causeries"  tells  of  a  flattering  and  unexpected 
sequel  to  this  book.  It  so  inspired  a  poor  potter 
of  Bourg-en-bresse  with  an  ambition  to  emulate 
its  hero,  that  he  studied  and  worked  until  from 
artisan  he  developed  into  an  artist.  Meurice  is 
said  to  have  been  the  collaborator  in  this  instance. 

"  Gabriel  Lambert "  is  the  last  chief  product  of 
this  extraordinary  year.  Dumas  professes  that  this 
story  is  true,  and  that  he  has  met  and  spoken 
with  the  chief  personages.  "Gabriel  Lambert" 
recalls  "  Richard  Darlington,"  with  a  difference, 
for  this  novel  is  less  a  story  of  unscrupulous  ambition, 
than  a  study  of  cowardice,  made  with  a  touch  of 
that  poignant  realism  which  has  since  become  so 
popular. 

The  **  forties  "  proved  the  most  brilliant  and  most 
productive  period  of  Dumas  the  novelist.  In  1845, 
the  year  following  his  great  double  triumph,  the 
author  produced  (in  addition  to  "  Une  Fille 
de  Regent  "  and  "  Vingt  Ans  Apres,"  already 
mentioned)  "  La  Reine  Margot,"  "  La  Guerre  des 
Femmes  "  (or  **  Nanon  "),  and  "  Les  Freres  Corses." 

First  of  the  Valois  romances  as  was  "  La  Reine 
Margot,"  we  must  not  forget  that  the  success  of 
"Henri  Trois  et  sa  Cour"  many  years  before,  had 
given  the  author  a  love  for  this  historical  period. 
The  fatal  passion  of  St   Megrin  is  repeated  in  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  221 

ill-fated  devotion  of  La  Mole.  The  great  personages 
of  history  here  are  drawn  boldly,  and  with  seeming 
carelessness,  but  how  human  they  are — how  full 
of  character  and  life!  The  Charles  IX.  of  history, 
as  Parigot  testifies,  is  not  *'  betrayed  "  by  the  Charles 
of  romance  ;  the  portrait  of  Catherine  de  Medici, 
if  somewhat  overdrawn,  is  full  of  that  Italian  guile 
with  which  the  records  credit  her,  and  the  frank,  in- 
genuous, supple-minded  Bearnais,  Henri  of  Navarre, 
is  one  of  the  triumphs  of  Dumas's  vivifying  genius. 
The  intricrue  of  the  romance  is  full  of  absorbinof 
interest :  Will  Henri  of  Navarre  become  King  of 
France  ?  Will  Catherine  be  able  to  prevent  him 
from  reaching  the  throne?  And  with  this,  other 
threads  are  interwoven  :  the  Huguenot-Catholic 
plots,  the  brotherly  love  of  La  Mole  and  Coconnas, 
these  in  turn  being  interspersed  with  those  terrible 
episodes,  the  massacre  of  St  Bartholomew,  and  the 
reading  of  the  poisoned  book  :  ^ 

Yet,  throughout  "La  Reine  Margot"  our  "hap- 
hazard "  author  (the  words  belongs  to  his  critics) 
has  exercised  a  double  restraint :  he  neither  harrows 
the  reader  unbearably  nor  does  he  take  advantage 
of  the  scandalous  facts  which  informal  history  affords, 
relating  to  the  court  of  the  Valois.     Mr   Lang,  in 

1  We  would  advise  our  readers  to  compare  the  romance  with  "The 
House  of  the  Wolf"  or  "Count  Hannibal"  by  Weyman,  and  the 
"Chronique  du  Regne  de  Charles  IX."  by  Merimee. 


222  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

his  "  Letters  to  Dead  Authors  "  notes  this  judicious 
quality  in  our  author.  "In  these  romances,"  he  says, 
apostrophising  Dumas,  "  how  easy  it  would  have 
been  for  you  to  burn  incense  to  that  great  goddess, 
Lubricity,  whom  our  critic  says  your  people  worship. 
You  had  Brantome,  you  had  Tallemant,  you  had 
Retif,  and  a  dozen  others,  to  furnish  materials  for 
scenes  of  voluptuousness  and  of  blood  that  would 
have  outdone  even  present  naturalistes.  From 
these  alcoves  of  '  Les  Dames  Galantes,'  from  the 
torture  chambers  (M.  Zola  would  not  have  spared 
us  one  startlnof  sinew  of  brave  La  Mole  on  the 
rack)  you  turned,  as  Scott  would  have  turned, 
without  a  thought  of  their  profitable  literary  uses. 
You  had  other  metal  to  work  on :  you  gave  us 
that  superstitious  and  tragical  true  love  of  La  Mole's, 
that  devotion — how  tender  and  how  pure  ! — of  Bussy 
for  the  Dame  de  Montsoreau.  You  gave  us  the 
valour  of  DArtagnan,  the  strength  of  Porthos,  the 
melancholy  nobility  of  Athos :  Honour,  Chivalry, 
and   Friendship." 

"  La  Guerre  des  Femmes,"  a  story  of  the 
Fronde,  and  therefore  contemporary  with  "Vingt 
Ans  Apres,"  is  easily  recognised  as  another  of  the 
romances  in  which  Maquet  had  his  share.  Pro- 
bably it  owes  its  position  in  the  second  class  to  its 
sad,  its  fatalistic  atmosphere.  But  "  La  Guerre  des 
Femmes "    has    many  merits :   it   develops    rapidly. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  223 

neatly,  to  its  end,  and  Cavagnac  and  Canollcs,  like 
La  Mole  and  Coconnas,  are  worthy  of  a  place  not 
far  below  those  famous  friends-to-the-death,  the 
Musketeers. 

Dumas's  admiration  for  the  historical  plays  of 
Shakespeare  was  chiefly  owing  to  the  skill  with 
which  the  dramatist  fused  history  into  fiction  and 
fiction  into  history,  so  that  only  the  most  expert  eye 
could  tell  where  the  one  ended  and  the  other  began. 
The  little  novel,  "  Les  Freres  Corses,"  possesses 
this  virtue.  It  is  obviously,  as  its  author  asserts, 
the  result  of  his  travels  in  Corsica ;  but  it  is  equally 
certain  that  the  supernatural  element  is  beyond  the 
credible  and  actual.  Although  the  story  forms  a 
strikingly  dramatic  episode  it  hardly  possesses  the 
merits  to  which  Its  popularity  In  England  would 
seem  to  entitle  It.  Dumas  himself,  though  much 
given  to  staging  his  novels,  never  made  a  play  of 
the  "  Freres  Corses,"  ^  but  two  or  three  different 
versions  were  played  simultaneously  in  London,  and 
the  craze  gave  rise  to  various  burlesques  on  the 
theme. 

In  the  following  year,  1846,  Dumas's  publishers 
issued  a  remarkable  advertisement  respecting  our 
author,  w4ilch  Mr  Fitzgerald  asserts  (without  advanc- 
ing proof)  to  be  written  by  the  novelist  himself. 
It  offers  the  public  Dumas's  works  "  in  a  new  shape  " 

^  See  Appendix  C. 


224  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

and  at  a  uniformly  low  price.  It  proclaims  the 
author  as  still  young  and  in  "  wonderfully  good 
health "  ;  and  declares  that  his  unceasing  flow  of 
invention  and  esprit  will  in  all  probability  add  forty 
volumes  a  year  to  his  already  large  library. 

There  seemed,  indeed,  every  prospect  that  this 
extraordinary  pledge  would  be  fulfilled.  The  next 
few  years  brought  their  quota  of  lengthy  and  more 
or  less  famous  romances,  and  "  Le  Chevalier  de 
Maison  Rouge  "  dates  from  1 846. 

This  epilogue  to  the  series  of  novels  dealing  with 
the  French  Revolution  was  in  reality  the  first  to 
appear.  The  raisoii  d'etre  of  the  book,  which  is 
full  of  revolutionary  spirit,  is  easily  explained  in 
this  instance,  for  France  was  beginning  to  feel 
the  throes  of  that  political  upheaval,  which  was 
destined  two  years  later  to  result  In  the  Second 
Republic. 

M.  Blaze  de  Bury  tells  an  anecdote  respecting 
this  story,  which  explains  the  rapidity  with  which 
our  author  worked  : 

"  Dumas  asserted  that  the  actual  writing  of  a 
book  or  a  play  was  nothing  to  him — the  conception, 
form,  arrangement,  and  development  of  the  theme, 
comprised  all  the  difficulties.  These  once  settled, 
the  hand  could  go  forward  '  by  itself.'  One  day 
some  one  avowed  the  very  opposite.  The  roman- 
clst,    who   was  preparing  '  Maison  Rouge '   at   this 


AT.EXANDRK  DUMAS  225 

time,  wagered  with  his  opponent  that  he  would 
write  the  first  book  in  seventy-two  hours,  inclusive 
of  time  for  sleep  and  meals.  A  bet  of  a  hundred 
louis  was  made  and  recorded  :  to  complete  the 
volume  ^  seventy-five  great  sheets  were  to  contain 
forty-five  lines  of  fifty  letters  each.  In  sixty-six 
hours  Dumas  filled  them  in  his  beautiful  hand- 
writing, without  an  erasure,  thus  gaining  six  hours 
on  the  specified  time." 

The  incidents  of  the  story,  strange  as  they  seem, 
were  amply  justified  by  history.  Once  again  Dumas 
was  "  speaking  by  the  book."  M.  Parigot  suggests 
that  "  unbelievers "  should  compare  the  romance 
with  M.  Lenotre's  erudite  work  on  the  original 
hero  ;  "  Vrai  Chevalier  de  Maison  Rouge — A.  D.  J. 
Gonze  de  Rougeville,  1761-1814."  "If  I  am  not 
mistaken,"  he  adds,  "  you  will  admire  the  discretion 
of  our  author,  no  less  than  his  modesty."  M.  de 
Bury,  in  an  appreciation  of  this  romance,  especially 
praises  its  creator  for  respecting  and  doing  justice 
to  the  characters  of  Marie  Antoinette  and  Madame 
Elizabeth,  and  adds  that  in  spite  of  his  republican 
sentiments,  which  he  never  loses  an  opportunity  of 
expressing,  Dumas  gives  those  personages  exactly 
their  true  sympathetic  and  historical  value. 

Even    more    famous    than    the    "Chevalier    de 

^  In  the  original  editions  of  Dumas's  works,  there  were  at  least 
twice  as  many  volumes  as  in  the  present  one-franc  series — hence 
occasional  discrepancies  on  this  point. 

P 


226  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Maison  Rouge "  is  the  second  Valois  romance, 
which  appeared  the  same  year — "  La  Dame  de 
Monsoreau,"  commonly  known  in  England  as 
"Chicot  the  Jester."  Dumas  had  already  made 
acquaintance  with  Bussy  D'Amboise,  the  mignon 
of  the  Due  dAlen9on  in  the  old  chroniclers,  in- 
troduced him  into  "  Henri  Trois,"  and  utilised  the 
story  of  his  assassination,  as  given  in  Anquetil,  for 
the  ddnoument  of  his  tragedy.  But  in  history  the 
lady  was  on  the  side  of  the  husband  ;  our  story- 
weaver  turned  her  affections  in  the  other  direction, 
and  the  romance  became  at  once  sympathetic  and 
moving.  (A  writer  has  taken  the  trouble  to  com- 
pile a  book  on  the  "historical  inaccuracies"  of  this 
romance.  Dumas  knew  quite  well  when  it  was 
wise  to  reconvey  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  ignore 
the  form.)  Critics  have  agreed  that  there  are  few 
finer  historical  portraits  in  fiction  than  that  of 
Henri  HI.,  the  effeminate,  superstitious  king,  de- 
voted to  luxury  and  the  most  trivial  pleasures. 
The  sardonic  Chicot,  the  Rabelaisian  monk  Goren- 
flot,  the  chivalrous  and  devoted  Bussy,  are  three 
splendid  additions  to  Dumas's  picture-gallery.  For 
the  truth  or  untruth  of  detail  in  these  stories  it  is 
probably  only  fair  to  praise  or  blame  Maquet.  We 
learn  that  a  descendant  of  St  Luc  (one  of  the 
minor  characters  of  the  book)  took  umbrage  at 
the    description    of   that   courtier,   and   brought    an 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  227 

action,  to  prove  that  his  ancestor  was  not  one  of 
Henri's  viignoiis.  The  trial  showed  the  collabo- 
rators to  be  right,   even  in  this  trifling  respect ! 

The  closing  scene  of  the  book — the  death  of 
Bussy— draws   this   warm   tribute   from    Mr   Lang : 

"  I  know  four  crood  fifrhts  of  one  arainst  a 
multitude.  These  are  the  Death  of  Gretir  the 
Stronof,  the  Death  of  Gunnar  of  Lithend,  the 
Death  of  Herew^ard  the  Wake,  and  the  Death  of 
Bussy   D'Amboise." 

"  Le  Batard  de  Mauleon,"  or  "  The  Half- 
Brothers,"'  was  written,  as  we  know  by  a  passage 
in  the  "  Histoire  de  mes  Betes,"  in  the  chateau 
of  Monte  Cristo,  by  Dumas  and  Maquet ;  and  the 
dog  Mouton,  a  new  recruit  for  the  menagerie  of 
the  "palace,"  was  woven  into  the  story  by  his 
master.  The  scene  on  this  occasion  is  laid  in 
Spain,  in  the  days  of  Du  Guesclin  and  the  Black 
Prince ;  and  those  interested  in  comparing  the 
methods  of  romancists  should  read  Dr  Doyle's 
"  White  Company,"  which  is  of  the  same  period, 
and  into  which  many  of  the  same  characters  are 
introduced.  Froissart's  chronicles  formed  the  base 
for  Dumas's  story,  and  even  Agenor  de  Mauleon 
himself  is  to  be  found  in  the  pages  of  the  old 
chronicler.  In  spite  of  some  "purple  passages," 
however^ — Mr  Saintsbury  instances  Du  Guesclin's 
negotiations    with    the    Free    Companies,    and    the 


228  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

battle  of  Najara — this  story  of  the  clays  of  Don 
Pedro  the  Cruel  has  not  the  best  qualities  of  its 
author,  for  which,  perhaps,  we  may  blame  the 
uncongenial  time  and  place.  Querard  states  that 
the  end  is  wholly  Maquet's. 

There  remains  for  1846  "  Les  Deux  Diane," 
which,  if  a  certain  letter  from  Dumas  be  not  a 
forgery,  was  entirely  the  work  of  M.  Paul  Meurice. 
It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  plot  is  "the 
master's."  The  style  is  certainly  not  Dumas's, 
being  entirely  sentimental,  and  the  romance  is  said 
to  have  been  suggested  by  "  Une  Fille  Naturelle," 
by  one  Felix  Davin. 

Our  readers  will  remember  that  in  the  autumn 
of  this  year  Dumas  departed  hurriedly  for  Madrid, 
accompanied,  it  is  true,  by  Maquet,  but  bent  upon 
pleasure-seeking  and  the  pursuit  of  material  for 
further  "Impressions  de  Voyage."  "Joseph  Bal- 
samo "  ("The  Memoirs  of  a  Physician"),  which 
was  appearing  serially,  suddenly  suspended  pub- 
lication, leaving  young  Gilbert,  the  hero,  lying 
senseless  in  the  road  whilst  his  thouo-htless  creator 
"  did  "  Spain  and  Algeria.  The  unfortunate  youth 
remained  in  this  inconvenient  position  until  Dumas 
restored  him  to  life  on  his  return.  This  suspen- 
sion of  consciousness  suggests  the  magnetic  trances 
of  which  our  author  so  frequently  makes  use  in 
this    story.       He    has    told    us    (in    "  Bric-a-Brac  ") 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  229 

that  he  experimented  in  mesmerism  at  the  time 
that  he  was  preparing  to  write  "  Balsamo,"  and 
that  he  succeeded  in  "  putting  to  sleep "  one  of 
his  servants,  who  then  became  clau^voyatit.  How- 
ever much  truth  there  may  be  in  this,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  "  magnetic  influence,"  or  telepathy,  is 
very  ingeniously  employed  to  give  the  charlatan 
Balsamo  (or  Cagllostro)  his  supposed  supernatural 
powers. 

For  the  rest  the  romance,  if  somewhat  form- 
less, is  full  of  a  number  of  varied  intrigues 
and  interests.  We  meet  the  king's  mistress, 
Madame  Dubarry,  and  learn  how,  in  spite  of  all 
opposition,  she  managed  to  get  presented  at  Court. 
We  enjoy  once  more  the  witty  society  of  Dumas's 
favourite  libertine,  the  Due  de  Richelieu,  whom 
we  met,  in  earlier  years,  in  "  Mademoiselle  de 
Bellisle,"  and  view  Louis  Ouinze  \\\xriS^{  en  faniille. 
The  first  faint  rumblings  of  the  coming  thunder 
of  the  Revolution  are  heard  ;  Marat  appears  on 
the  scene ;  Rousseau  is  disappearing  from  it. 
Then  there  is  the  weird  story  of  Balsamo's  love 
for  Lorenza,  and  that  of  Gilbert  for  Andree  de 
Tavernay — all  are  interwoven  in  this  gigantic  ro- 
mance, which  is  itself  only  a  beginning.  Either 
because  Dumas  wearied  of  his  interminable  sub- 
ject, or  le^t  it  to  Maqiiet  to  finish — possibly  the  law- 
suit with  tlie  seven  journals  distracted  the  author's 


230  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

attention — the  closing  chapters  are  dull ;  but,  on 
the  whole,  "  Balsamo  "  contains  some  of  his  best 
work. 

In  1847  came  "  Les  Quarante-Cinq,"  the  sequel 
to  "  La  Dame  de  Monsoreau."  It  tells  chiefly 
of  that  lady's  revenge  upon  the  treacherous 
D'Alen^on  (now  D'Anjou),  who  has  caused  the 
death  of  her  beloved  Bussy.  The  part  of  the 
book  in  which  Chicot  goes  on  an  embassy  to 
Henri  Ouatre  is  excellent,  but  the  last  volume 
is  unsatisfactory.  This  year,  be  it  remembered, 
was  a  stormy  one  in  public  affairs,  and  disastrous 
to  Dumas  personally.  He  dictated  the  last 
chapters  to  his  son,   being  probably  ill  in  bed. 

Notwithstanding  this  blemish,  the  "  Ouarante- 
Cinq "  was  a  favourite  with  one  of  our  author's 
firmest  admirers — George  Sand.  M.  Victor  Borie 
has  told  us  that  he  chanced  to  visit  the  famous 
novelist  just  before  her  death,  and  found  the 
romance  lying  on  her  table.  He  expressed 
his  wonder  that  she  was  reading  it  for  the  first 
time. 

"  For  the  first  time,"  she  exclaimed,  "  why,  this 
is  the  fifth  or  sixth  time  I  have  read  '  Les  Quarante- 
Cinq,'  and  the  others.  When  I  am  ill,  anxious, 
melancholy,  tired,  discouraged,  nothing  helps  me 
against  moral  or  physical  troubles  like  a  book  of 
Dumas's." 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  231 

During  the  next  two  years — troublous  ones  for 
our  novelist — the  rate  of  production  slackened. 
With  the  very  notable  exception  of  "  Bragelonne," 
and  some  historical  studies,  the  chief  work  of  im- 
portance in  1849  was  "  Le  Collier  de  la  Reine" 
("The  Queen's  Necklace"),  a  continuation  of  the 
history-in-romance  of  the  Louis  XVL  period.  So 
much  has  been  written  by  Carlyle,  by  Funck- 
Brentano  and  others,  about  this  famous  episode  in 
the  career  of  Marie  Antoinette,  that  there  is  no 
need  to  describe  it  here.  Dumas  (still  with  the 
valuable  assistance  of  Maquet)  tells  the  story  of 
that  extraordinary  scandal  in  his  own  fashion,  carry- 
ing forward,  as  he  does  so,  the  other  "motifs" 
mentioned  already.  The  comparative  non-success 
of  this  book  Is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  history 
left  so  little  to  the  Imagination.  "  Les  Mllle-et-un 
Fantomes,"  said  by  some  to  have  been  written 
with  Paul  Bocage,  by  others  with  "  Bibliophile 
Jacob,"  appeared  this  year.  It  Is  In  great  part  a 
gruesome  debate  as  to  whether  a  severed  head  can 
speak,  or  retains  knowledge  of  Itself  after  parting 
from  the  body,  and  dwells  on  other  similar  matters, 
— being,  In  short,  a  book  calculated  to  "  make  your 
flesh  creep." 

Of  a  very  different  nature  was  "  La  Tulipe 
Noire,"  which  appeared  In  1850.  This  book — "as 
modest  as  a  story  by  Miss   Edgeworth,"  Thackeray 


232         LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

declared  enthusiastically — has  recently  been  issued 
as  Dumas's  contribution  to  the  series  of  translations 
known  as  a  "  Century  of  French  Romance."  The 
subject — or  at  least  the  historical  part  of  it — is 
said  to  have  been  suggested  to  Dumas  by  the  King 
of  Holland.  (The  novelist  visited  Amsterdam  in 
1849  to  be  present  at  the  wedding  of  the  Prince 
;of  Orange,  who  had  recently  ascended  the  throne, 
and  with  whom  he  had  a  corresponding  acquaint- 
ance.) The  tale,  as  Flotow  used  to  relate  it,  is 
as  follows. 

When  the  author  of  "  Monte  Cristo "  was  first 
presented  to  the  king  at  Amsterdam,  the  royal  host 
said : 

"  M.  Dumas,  you  have  written  many  brilliant 
stories  dealing  with  distinguished  Frenchmen  ;  have 
you  not  found  any  Dutchmen  worthy  of  your  con- 
sideration ?  " 

"Your  Majesty,  I  have  not  had  time  to  make 
the  necessary  researches." 

"  Oh !  you  need  not  trouble  about  that,"  replied 
the  king,  whose  own  life  and  courtship  had  tinges 
of  romance,  "I  will  tell  you  a  story."  And  so  the 
king  related  the  incidents  of  1672  and  1673,  of 
the  murder  of  the  De  Witts,  and  the  imprisonment 
of  Cornelius  Van  Baerle — all  upon  wicked  and 
shamefully  wrong  charges.  At  the  end  of  the  de- 
scription, Dumas  exclaimed, 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  233 

"  What  a  fine  subject  for  a  novel !  " 

"Write  it,"  said  the  king-,  and  Dumas  promptly 
answered 

"  I  will." 

The  dramatised  version  of  the  story  produced  at 
the  Haymarket,  and  the  consequent  popularity  of 
the  book  itself  will  have  made  the  plot  generally 
familiar.  This  is  another  case  in  which  EnMish 
managers,  who  have  so  generally  disdained  Dumas's 
dramatic  work,  have  adapted  for  the  stage  a  book 
which  even  the  skilled  instinct  of  its  author  failed 
to  find  suitable  for  dramatic  use. 

"  Les  Manages  de  Pere  Olifus,"  rather  loosely 
described  as  "a  sequel  to  the  'Mille-et-un 
Pantomes,'  "  is  said  to  have  been  written  with  Paul 
Bocage,  and  was  one  of  the  results  of  the  trip  to 
Amsterdam  mentioned  above.  It  is  an  extra 
ordinary  work,  and  decidedly  deserves  much  more 
attention  than  it  has  received  at  the  hands  of 
critics.  From  a  letter  with  which  Mr  W.  M. 
Rossetti  has  kindly  favoured  us,  it  appears  that 
the  story  was  specially  liked  by  Dante  Gabriel 
Rossetti,   a  great  admirer  of  our  author. 

"  If  a  question  were  raised  as  to  particular  novels 
(by  Dumas)  specially  admired  by  my  brother,"  he 
writes,  "  I  could  mention  *  Monte  Cristo,'  '  Trois 
Mousquetaires,'  '  Bragelonne,'  '  Pere  Olifus,' 
'  Ingenue,'    '  Les  Ouarante-Cinq,'   I   think  also   '  La 


234  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Tulipe  Noire.'  He  was  also  vastly  amused  with 
Dumas's  '  Memoires.'  " 

The  tale,  which  purports  to  have  been  confided 
to  Dumas  by  Olifus  himself,  is  too  strange  not  to 
have  had  some  such  oricrin.  As  we  read  it,  it  is 
told  with  as  much  reticence  as  the  exiijencies  of  the 
story  and  the  promptings  of  humour  allow  ;  but  the 
adventures  of  the  seaman  with  his  "  sea-wife "  too 
closely  resemble  the  style  of  the  narratives  of  "  The 
Arabian  Nights"  or  "Boccaccio,"  to  recommend 
themselves  to  a  prudish  translator. 

For  his  next  story  Dumas  went  to  German 
history,  and  chose  the  time  when  the  patriotic 
secret  society  of  the  "  Tugendbund"  was  conspiring 
to  assassinate  Napoleon  and  to  throw  off  the  French 
yoke.  Probably  with  the  help  of  a  'prentice  who 
"  knew  his  Germany,"  Dumas  wrote  "  Le  Trou  de 
I'Enfer,"  a  powerful,  poignant  story,  of  how  a  young 
Antony  living,  d  la  Schiller's  "  Robber,"  a  life 
sufficient  unto  himself,  strove  successfully  to  possess 
a  young  goatherdess,  and  the  wife  of  his  best 
friend,  for  whom  he  had  conceived  a  self-willed 
passion.  "  Dieu  dispose,"  which  Mr  Swinburne 
considers  to  possess  great  merit,  was  written  in 
Brussels  in  1852.  It  tells  of  the  retribution  which 
gradually  overtakes  the  seducer,  and  the  reader 
follows  the  sure  though  tortuous  course  of  Nemesis 
with  the  interest  which  Dumas  himself  rarely  fails 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  235 

to  arouse  and  reward.  The  Revolution  of  1830, 
and  the  secret  "  freemasonry  "  agitations  connected 
therewith,  are  touched  upon ;  but  the  dramatic 
effect  of  the  story  is  borrowed  from  the  author's 
own  play  of  "  Comte  Hermann,"  produced  three 
years  before.  We  have  indicated  the  sources  of  the 
story's  strength  ;  its  weakness  lies  in  a  husband's 
non-recognition  of  his  wife,  after  years  of  separation. 

"  La  Femme  au  Collier  de  Velours,"  which  also 
dates  from  1S51,  contains  by  way  of  introduction  an 
interesting  account  of  Dumas's  literary  patron, 
Charles  Nodier,  and  the  society  at  the  Arsenal. 
The  tale  itself,  which  purports  to  have  been  told 
to  the  narrator  by  the  dying  Nodier,  and  of  which 
Hoffmann,  the  author  of  "Contes  Fantastiques,"  is 
the  hero,  is  as  weird  as  any  story  by  the  German 
Poe.  Incidentally  it  introduces  the  guillotining  of 
Madame  Dubarry  the  mistress  of  Louis  XV.,  and 
presents  a  realistic  picture  of  life  in  Paris  in  '93. 

This  story  is  associated  by  Calmann-Levy  with 
another  essay  into  the  supernatural — "  Le  Testa- 
ment de  M.  Chauvelin."  That  noble,  who  was 
historically  one  of  Louis  XV. 's  roues,  makes  a  will 
for  the  protection  of  his  wife  and  children,  which  he 
neglects  to  sign.  He  dies  suddenly,  but  is  seen 
to  return  to  his  chateau,  and  the  will  is  found,  duly 
completed.  Powerful  as  the  story  is,  its  chief  value 
lies  in  the  introduction,  which   gives   us  a  glimpse 


236  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

of  the  writer's  youth,  and  in  the  full  and  vivid 
description  of  the  last  days  of  Louis  Quinze. 

One  of  the  books  of  Dumas  which  is  destined  to 
become  more  appreciated  in  the  future  than  it  has 
been  in  the  past,  is  "  Olympe  de  Cleves,"  which 
dates  from  1852.  It  was  written  before  he  re- 
tired to  Brussels,  and  Maquet  is  credited  with  a 
share  in  the  work.  We,  for  our  part,  believe  that 
the  extent  of  that  writer's  connection  with  this  story 
begins — if  it  begins  at  all — and  ends  with  the  dis- 
covery of  Lemazurier's  biographies  of  the  French 
actors,  from  which  the  career  of  Banniere  is  taken, 
and  with  the  preparation  of  the  historical  material 
repecting  the  debauching  of  the  young  king,  Louis 
Quinze.  The  charm  of  the  story  lies  for  once  in 
the  characters  of  the  lovable  hero  and  heroine,  and 
the  unhistorical  parts  of  the  book,  describing  the 
life  of  a  strolling  company  of  French  actors,  in  the 
early  eighteenth  century.  We  should  like  to  echo 
the  sentiments  of  Mr  W.  E.  Henley,  who  proclaims 
"  Olympe  de  Cleves"  a  masterpiece. 

Probably  most  readers  of  "  Ange  Pitou "  (also 
known  as  "  Taking  the  Bastille "),  published  in 
1853,  will  have  noticed  that  the  story  ends  abrupdy 
— -that,  in  fact,  it  cannot  be  said  to  end  at  all.  An 
anecdote  told  by  M.  Parigot  offers  an  explanation  of 
this.  One  day,  it  appears,  Maquet,  reader  and  ex- 
plorer of  the  obscure,  burst  in  upon  Dumas  with  an 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  237 

idea  for  a  new  romance,  to  be  founded  on  a  real 
historical  character,  Ange  Pitou,  ballad  -  monger, 
Royalist,  and  the  rest,  (M.  Maurice  Engerrand  has 
recently  given  us  a  brochure  on  this  historical  per- 
sonage similar  to  the  one  written  by  M.  Lenotre  on 
Rougeville,  or  "  Maison  Rouge.")  The  master  bade 
his  assistant  prepare  the  usual  material,  that  is  to 
say,  make  researches,  and  reconstitute  the  man  in  his 
moral  and  historical  atmosphere.  On  the  strength 
of  this  project  the  romancer  entered  into  a  contract 
with  publishers  to  write  and  supply  the  story. 
Luckily  or  unluckily,  Dumas  and  Maquet  quarrelled; 
the  book  had  to  be  written  by  a  certain  date ;  the 
romancer,  pressed  for  time,  ignored  research,  and 
created  his  hero  from  his  own  imao^ination,  locating 
him  at  Villers-Cotterets,  giving  him  his  own  personal 
boyhood,  and  sending  him  to  Paris  to  take  part  in 
the  capture  of  the  Bastille.  Then,  when  the  novel 
had  reached  the  requisite  length,  he  abandoned  the 
work. 

Dumas's  own  explanation,  given  in  an  intro- 
duction to  "  La  Comtesse  de  Charny,"  is  that  just 
at  that  time  the  Chamber  imposed  a  tax  on  every 
copy  of  those  journals  which  contained  a  ftiiil- 
leton  \  and  that  De  Girardin,  editor  of  the  paper  in 
which  "  Ange  Pitou "  appeared,  wrote  to  Dumas 
bidding  him  cut  the  story  short.  Presumably  the 
ii?7ibre  was  taken  off  soon  after.     Those  readers  who 


238  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

care  to  compare  the  early  chapters  of  "  Ange  Pitou" 
with  the  first  volumes  of  the  "  Memoires"  will  find 
that  the  hero  and  his  author  possess  many  interesting 
points  of  resemblance  and  dissimilarity. 

Here,  so  far  as  we  can  trace,  ended  the  connec- 
tion between  Dumas  and  his  best  collaborator.  It 
has  been  said  that  without  Maquet  our  author  was 
helpless.  It  is  true  that  he  was  at  his  best  with 
that  admirable  'prentice ;  but  it  is  none  the  less  true 
that  both  before  and  after  him,  Dumas  wrote  books 
which  none  but  he  could  have  produced,  whilst 
Maquet  never  achieved  anything  like  the  same 
degree  of  merit  or  success  under  his  own  name. 

During  his  exile  in  Brussels  (185 1-3)  Dumas,  as 
he  tells  us  in  the  preface  to  "  Pere  Gigogne,"  was  far 
from  idle.  He  instances  "Conscience  1' Innocent" 
(or  "L'Enfant"),  "La  Comtesse  de  Charny,"  "  Le 
Pasteur  dAshbourn,"  "Isaac  Laquedem,"  "Catherine 
Blum,"  and  a  portion  of  his  ''  Memoires "  as  the 
result  of  two  years'  work,  and  adds  "  it  will  one  day 
be  a  source  of  trouble  for  my  biographers  to  dis- 
cover the  '  anonymous  collaborators '  who  have 
written  those  books  !  " 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  novelist  turned 
from  the  romance  of  cap-and-sword,  and  devoted 
himself  chiefly  to  semi-pastoral  stories,  to  tales  of 
contemporary,  and  often  humble,  life.  In  the  open- 
ing passages  of  "  Conscience  "  he  dwells  on  this. 


ALEXANDRE  DUiMxVS  239 

"  As  one  gets  on  In  life,"  he  writes,  "  and,  losing- 
sight  of  the  cradle,  draws  nigh  to  the  tomb,  it  seems 
as  if  the  invisible  ties  which  bind  one  to  one's 
birthplace  grow  stronger  and  more  irresistible.  .  .  . 
A  man's  life  is  divided  into  two  distinct  parts  :  the 
first  thirty-five  years  are  for  hope ;  the  second 
thirty-five,  for  memory.  .  .  .  That  is  why,  instead 
of  always  breaking  fresh  ground  in  literary  work, 
consulting  solely  the  caprices  of  my  fancy,  the  re- 
sources of  my  imagination,  ever  seeking  new 
characters  and  conceiving  new,  unheard  -  of  situa- 
tions, I  return  at  times,  at  least  in  thought,  to  that 
beaten  track,  my  childhood,  retracing  those  days  to 
their  earliest  hours,  looking  back  along  the  path 
I  have  trodden,  back  until  I  see  my  little  feet  as 
they  kept  pace  with  my  dearly  loved  mother's — 
which  have  traversed  life  side  by  side  with  mine 
from  the  day  when  my  eyes  first  opened,  to  the  day 
when  hers  closed  for  ever." 

We  have  seen  how  Dumas  made  use,  in  "  Ange 
Pitou,"  of  his  recollections  of  childhood.  The  pre- 
paration of  the  "  Memoires  "  probably  further  stimu- 
lated him  to  utilise  his  recollections  of  life  at  Villers- 
Cotterets,  as  a  "milieu"  for  these  semi-pastoral  stories. 
Therefore,  when  he  read  a  little  story  by  Hendrik 
Conscience,  the  Flemish  novelist,  called  "  Le  Con- 
scrit,"  in  which  a  young  peasant  Is  "drawn"  for  the 
war,  is  blinded   in   action,   Is  brought  home  by  his 


240  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

sweetheart,  and  Is  finally  restored  to  sight,  Dumas 
saw  in  this  novelette  (as  he  tells  us  in  "  Bric-a- 
brac  ")  the  outline  of  a  story  after  his  own  heart. 
He  wrote  to  Conscience,  asking  permission  to  use 
this  story  as  a  basis,  and  this  the  flattered  author, 
readily  granted.  In  order  to  acknowledge  his  in- 
debtedness publicly  Dumas  gave  the  name  of 
Conscience  to  the  hero  of  his  own  story, 
which  is  a  considerable  elaboration  on  the 
original.  Our  author  chancjed  the  locale  to 
Villers-Cotterets,  introduced  his  boyish  recollections 
of  Napoleon's  flying  visits  to  that  village,  indulged 
in  a  little  contemporary  history,  made  the  love  of  the 
peasant  for  the  land  a  powerful  factor  in  the  story, 
created  Bastien,  one  of  the  leading  characters,  and 
gave  to  the  new  "Consent"  many  times  the  length 
and  strength  of  the  original. 

"Catherine  Blum,"  published  in  1854,  had  a 
similar  origin.  It  is  said  to  have  been  suQfo-ested 
by  Iffland's  "Gardes  Forestiers,"  but  its  charm  lies 
in  the  description  of  the  people  and  atmosphere  of 
Villers-Cotterets,  and  in  the  simple  art  with  which 
it  is  told.  There  is  a  pleasant  portrait  of  Abbe 
Gregoire,  one  of  the  boy  Alexandre's  preceptors. 
Mr  Swinburne  tells  us  that  amongst  Dumas's  minor 
works  he  admires  chiefly  this  pair  of  pastoral  pic- 
tures, "Conscience"  and  "Catherine  Blum,"  and  we 
believe   that   if  they   were   known   to   the    English- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  241 

reading  public  his  judgment  would  be  generally 
confirmed. 

When  he  wrote  "  Conscience "  Dumas  was  wait- 
ing for  a  copy  of  Michelet's  "  French  Revolution," 
in  order  to  begin  upon  "  La  Comtesse  de  Charny  " 
(1853-5).  Professor  G.  C.  Carpenter,  a  thoughtful 
critic  of  Dumas's  genius  and  writings,  gives  an 
appreciation  of  this  romance,  touching  also  upon 
the  secret  sources  of  our  author's  success  : 

"He  read  memoirs  avidly,  for  one  thing ;  he  had 
a  marvellous  heritage  of  race,  that  made  other  times 
akin  to  him  ;  submerged  in  his  under-consclousness, 
out  of  reach  of  will  or  reason,  were  wondrous  stores 
of  association  ;  his  own  life  was  rich  and  varied  ;  his 
sympathy  was  extraordinary.  On  all  these  sources 
he  drew,  in  that  madly  rapid  writing  of  his.  And 
the  result  is  that  in  his  pages,  as  in  an  allegory,  are 
all  the  elements  essential  to  the  nation's  life.  Among 
a  score  of  others,  three  are  not  to  be  forgotten  :  the 
violated  Comtesse  de  Charny,  who  was  the  wrecked 
aristocracy  ;  the  brutal  peasant  boy  Gilbert,  who 
represented  the  uprising  of  men  long  down-trodden  ; 
and  their  child,  who  was  the  new  France." 

"  La  Comtesse  de  Charny,"  which  links  "  Ange 
Pitou  "  with  the  "  Chevalier  de  Maison  Rouge  "  and 
thus  completes  the  Revolution  cycle,  is  full  of  pic- 
turesque history,  although  it  is  perhaps  too  long  ;  and 
the  fictitious  interest,  apart  from  the  character  of  the 

Q 


242  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

countess*  herself,  who  develops  into  one  of  Dumas's 
most  life-like  heroines,  is  not  very  engrossing. 
We  regret  to  find  that  in  some  English  transla- 
tions the  "epilogue  "  to  "  La  Comtesse  de  Charny," 
in  which  Ange  Pitou  and  Catherine  are  satisfactorily 
brought  together,  is  omitted. 

In  this  cycle  of  revolutionary  romance,  which 
begins  with  the  "  Memoires  du  Medecin,"  and  ends 
with  "  Le  Chevalier  de  Maison  Rouge,"  there  are 
several  unsatisfactory  gaps.  The  reader  will  find  a 
consecutive  and  vivid  panorama  of  the  events  of 
1792,  1793,  ^^d  1794'  fron^  the  battles  of  Valmy 
and  Jemappes  to  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  in  "  Le 
Docteur  Mysterieux ''  and  "La  Fille  du  Marquis." 
These  volumes  bear  evident  traces  of  Dumas's 
hand,  touching  as  they  do  upon  the  restoration  of 
reason  to  the  imbecile,  the  use  of  "  magnetic  power," 
and  the  sense  of  life  after  death,  in  the  case  of  a 
guillotined  head  (see  "  Le  Mille-et-une  Fantomes  "). 
There  is  an  interestincr  thread  of  fiction,  and  a 
translation  of  scenes  from  "Romeo  and  Juliet" 
may  attract  the  curious.  Chincholle  tells  us  that 
when  he  visited  the  author  in  1869,  he  was  com- 
pleting the  dictation  of  these  volumes,  which  were 
not  published  in  book-form  until  after  his  death. 

"Ever  since  1832,"  Dumas  tells  us  in  one  of  his 
frequent  bursts  of  confidence,  "  I  have  had  in  my 
mind  the   outline  of  a  '  Juif  errant,'  to  which  I  shall 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  243 

devote  myself  at  the  first  leisure  moment  I  get,  and 
which  will  be  one  of  my  best  books.  Indeed,  I  have 
only  one  fear — that  I  may  die  without  having  written 
it." 

In  this  case,  ''  Tauteur propose,  le  censeiir  dispose." 
Parieot  is  facetious,  but  misleadingf,  when  he  writes  : 
"  Dumas,  in  commencing  '  Isaac  Laquedem,'  thought 
to  wTite  the  romance  of  the  world's  history.  He  soon 
stopped,  as  there  did  not  seem  sufficient  material," 

The  story  was  interdicted  by  the  censor  of  the 
Second  Empire,  probably  as  profane.  It  promised, 
says  Henley,  to  fulfil  its  author's  pledge,  and  be  one 
of  his  best  romances.  M.  de  Bury  devotes  con- 
siderable space  to  it  in  his  study  of  Dumas.  It  was, 
in  truth,  a  orlcrantic  task  to  undertake :  "  Isaac 
Laquedem "  was  telling  us  the  story  of  the  early 
days  of  the  world  and  of  the  Bible  with  all  sincerity 
and  reverence,  and  in  Dumas's  most  vivid  and  en- 
thralling manner.  The  trial  of  Jesus  ;  His  encounter 
with  the  Jew  and  the  terrible  curse  He  laid  upon 
him — all  was  as  powerful  as  it  was  audacious.  But 
the  idea  of  the  Passion  told  en  fetulldoii  was  too 
much  for  the  authorities,  and  all  that  we  possess  of 
"  Isaac  Laquedem  "  is  a  fragment — a  few  scattered 
columns  of  one  of  the  most  daring  literary  edifices 
ever  mortal  man  desiorned  to  erect.  The  J\IS. — all 
in  Dumas's  own  handwriting — was  presented  by  his 
son  to  the  town  of  Villers-Cotterets. 


244  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

The  last  of  the  "  romances  of  exile,"  the  "  Pasteur 
d'Ashbourn,"  is  said  to  have  been  drawn  from  an 
English  source.  On  the  other  hand,  Parran,  who 
made  considerable  researches  into  the  dates  and 
origins  of  Dumas's  works,  believed  both  in  its  gen- 
uineness and  its  merit.  "  It  reveals  a  new  side  to 
his  talent,"  he  declares.  To  this  we  are  regret- 
fully unable  to  subscribe.  Apart  from  the  story  of 
"  la  Dame  Grise  "  which  it  contains,  and  which  may 
have  been  suggested  by  Marie  Dorval's  passionate 
and  unconquerable  grief  for  her  dead  child,  the  novel 
would  seem  to  have  originally  been  a  German  at- 
tempt to  copy  Goldsmith  or  Richardson.  Probably 
something  in  this  story  attracted  Dumas  and  caused 
him  to  translate  and  transform  it.  The  novel  is 
obviously  incomplete  as  it  stands,  but  we  can  find 
no  trace  of  a  sequel,  which  perhaps  its  lack  of  success 
did  not  encourage  the  author  to  supply.  "  La  Boule 
de  Neige  "  (or  "  Moullah-Nour  ")  is  also  a  transla- 
tion or  adaptation  of  a  story  by  Marlinsky,  but  the 
humour  with  which  it  is  told  makes  it  our  author's 
own,  if  not  by  right  of  ownership,  then  by  right  of 
"conquest." 

The  year  1854  saw  Dumas  back  in  Paris  and  in- 
stalled in  the  editorial  chair  of  the  Moiisquetah'e. 
"  Salteador  (or  "  The  Brigand  "),  which  appeared  in 
the  great  man's  journal,  was  announced  in  the 
master's  introductory  note  as  by  another  hand ;  but, 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  245 

according  to  a  member  of  the  family,  it  is  certainly 
the  work  of  our  author — probably  in  collaboration. 
"  La  Princesse  de  Monaco"  was  simply  recueillihy 
Dumas;  "  Une  Vie  d'Artiste  "  consists  of  the  story 
of  the  early  struggles  of  Mellngue,  the  witty  actor 
and  original  stage  DArtagnan,  most  interestingly 
retold  by  his  friend  and  patron. 

In  this  year  began  "  Les  Mohicans  de  Paris," 
still  another  new  departure  for  the  inexhaus- 
tible romancer.  Frequently  with  Dumas  a  new 
assistant  meant  a  new  field  of  enterprise ;  on 
this  occasion  the  'prentice  was,  we  believe, 
Paul  Bocage,  and  the  story  was  at  once  the 
pioneer  of  the  detective-story,  and  a  remin- 
iscence of  the  second  part  of '*  Monte  Cristo,"  and 
"  The  Mysteries  of  Paris."  Our  author  himself 
appeared  in  it,  "athlete  and  poet,"  in  the  opening 
chapters,  which  take  place  in  a  night  restaurant. 
The  leading  character,  the  detective,  was  a  fore- 
runner of  Sherlock  Holmes  ;  but  in  this  particular 
type  of  story  Dumas  was  not  at  his  best,  and  the 
same  remark  applies  to  the  better  constructed  but 
too  lengthy  sequel,  "  Salvator,"  which  commenced 
to  appear  the  following  year. 

"  Ingenue,"  ^  also  of  this  year's  date,  is  of  much 

^  It  is  stated  that  Maquet  had  a  share  in  this  work,  but  unless  it  was 
commenced  before  the  rupture  between  the  two  men  we  doubt  this. 
Certainly  they  would  scarcely  come  together  for  the  purpose  of  writing 
this  small  romance. 


246  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

better  quality,  and  we  are  surprised  that  the  EngHsh 
translations  of  it  have  been  allowed  to  [jo  out  of 
print.  We  find  ourselves  once  more  In  the  midst  of 
the  Revolution,  the  leading  character  of  the  story 
being  Marat,  to  whom  a  love  romance  of  his  youth 
brings  a  strange  sequel.  The  heroine  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Retif  de  la  Bretonne,  a  literary  character  of 
the  time  ;  but  his  descendants  resented  the  freedom 
with  which  their  ancestors  were  treated,  and  warned 
the  public  not  to  accept  the  story  as  true.  Dumas's 
sincere  apology,  and  declaration  that  he  was  unaware 
of  the  existence  of  any  survivors  of  the  family  were 
accepted. 

A  sequel  to  "  Les  Deux  Diane  "  also  belongs  to 
1855 — "  Le  Page  du  Due  de  Savoie,"  and  is  obvi- 
ously from  the  same  pens — Meurice,  instructed  by 
his  master. 

We  now  come  to  another  of  our  author's  very  best 
romances — "  Les  Compagnons  de  Jehu."  This 
story,  which  appeared  in  1857,  was  suggested  (as 
we  learn  from  the  preface)  by  a  page  in  Nodier's 
"  Souvenirs  de  la  Revolution."  Dumas,  in  accord- 
ance with  his  practice,  visited  Bourg-en-Bresse  to 
study  the  locality,  and  gives  an  instructive  and 
amusing  account  of  his  visit,  in  the  introduction  to 
the  book.  At  the  time  when  he  set  off  on  the 
track  of  the  young  Royalist  highwaymen  he  was 
preparing    to    write    a  serial    to    be   called    "  Rene 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  247 

d'Aroonnc,"  and  was  studying-  Varcnncs  for  that 
purpose,  along  with  Paul  Bocage,  so  that  the  "  neat 
draft"  of  the  "  Compagnons  "  which  About  saw  on 
Dumas's  table  was  probably  by  that  young  'prentice. 
In  our  judgment  this  story  of  the  days  of  the  Direc- 
toire  is  one  of  the  most  dramatic  and  skilfully  con- 
structed of  all  Dumas's  romances,  and  excels  most 
of  its  more  famous  rivals  in  unity  and  form.  Dumas 
Jils  took  an  interest  in  the  story,  and  is  said  to  have 
suggested  to  his  father  the  characters  of  Roland  de 
Montrevel,  the  young  Republican,  and  Sir  John 
Tanlay,  the  English  aristocrat. 

Once  more,  Villers-Cotterets !  In  "  Le  Meneur 
de  Loups,"  which  dates  from  this  year,  the  narrator 
is  Mocquet,  the  friend  of  the  boy  Alexandre,  keeper 
to  General  Dumas,  and  hero  of  a  wonderful  trip  to 
the  moon.  Dumas  recalls  how  in  his  childhood 
Mocquet  told  him  the  tale  of  Thibaut,  the  man  who 
became  a  wolf ;  and  the  weird  adventures  of  the 
loup-garoiL  are  told  engrossingly  enough,  not  to  say 
enthrallingly.  But  their  chronicler- in -after- years 
modestly  disclaims  the  credit.  He  speaks  of  the 
story  as  his,  it  is  true,  adding  very  sensibly,  "  when 
one  has  sat  on  an  ^^^  for  thirty- two  years  one 
finishes  by  thinking  one  has  laid  it  one's-self !  " 

"  Le  Capitaine  Richard,"  known  to  the  last 
generation  of  English  readers  as  *'  The  Twin 
Captains,"  is  a  good  story  spoilt  bv  histor)\      For 


248  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

once  Dumas  did  not  give  sufficient  attention  to 
the  fusing  process,  and  story  and  history  could 
almost  be  disentangled  without  damage  to  either. 
The  plot,  as  we  learn  in  the  epilogue,  was  given  to 
Dumas  by  Schlegel,  the  great  critic,  whom  the 
former  met  when  he  was  "  doins^  the  Rhine "  in 
1838.  The  period  of  the  story  is  that  of  the  "  Trou 
de  I'Enfer " ;  Napoleon  is  in  Germany ;  and  the 
account  of  the  attempted  assassination  of  the 
Emperor  by  Staps,  and  of  the  Moscow  campaign, 
are  both  of  the  author's  best.  The  tale  finishes 
with  such  a  dramatic  situation  that  one  is  tempted 
to  regret  the  evident  haste  with  which  "  Le  Capitaine 
Richard "  was  written,  a  haste  which  compressed 
matter  for  a  full-sized  drama  into  the  last  few  pages 
of  a  novel. 

We  pass  by  "  L' Horoscope,"  a  fragment  of  the 
history  of  the  short-lived  Frangois  II.,  husband  of 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  a  piece  of  work  of  which  the 
little  we  possess  makes  us  ask  vainly  for  more ; 
"  Black,"  a  pretty  story,  based  on  the  idea  of  the 
transmigration  of  souls  into  the  bodies  of  animals ; 
and  "  Ammalat  Beg"  (or  "  Sultanetta "),  rewritten 
by  Dumas  from  a  translation  of  a  story  in  Russian 
by  Marlinsky.i  This  was  published  in  1859,  being, 
of  course,  the  result  of  Dumas's  visit  to  the  Caucasus 

^  An  English  version  of  this  story,  one  of  the  best  known  in  Russian 
literature,  appeared  in  Blackwood's,  1 843.   • 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  249 

just  previously.  We  may  also  briefly  dismiss  "  Le 
Chasseur  de  Sauvagine,"  a  charming  story,  the 
whole  credit  of  which  Dumas  frankly  gives  entirely 
to  his  friend  and  collaborator,  the  Comte  de 
Cherville.  In  spite  of  this  avowal  the  authorship 
has  been  claimed  by  experts  for  Dumas,  and  in  any 
case  the  story  is  well  worth  reading.  It  follows 
the  fortunes  of  a  Normandy  wildfowl-hunter,  and 
tells  of  his  love,  his  sin,  and  his  repentance.  The 
story  contains  qualities  not  generally  acknow- 
ledged to  be  possessed  by  our  author,  being  in 
marked  contrast  with  his  better-known  style.  "  Le 
Fils  du  Forcat"  (or  "Monsieur  Coumbes "),  pub- 
lished the  following  year,  has  also  been  ascribed 
to  Dumas,  and  suggests  the  same  collaborator  as 
the  previous  work.  Although  the  scene  is  laid  in 
Marseilles,  the  tale  resembles  the  "Chasseur"  in 
manner.  It  is  really  a  study  of  a  "little"  nature — 
that  of  Monsieur  Coumbes,  to  wit,  and  is  simply 
yet  powerfully  told.  A  splendid  edition  of  "  Le  Fils 
du  Format"  was  published  in  France  not  long  ago. 

"  Les  Louves  de  Machecoul,"  a  product  of  1859, 
deserves  fuller  notice.  This  tale  gives  the  reader 
a  graphic  account  of  the  rising  in  La  Vendee  in 
1832,  caused  by  the  Duchesse  de  Berri — a  descrip- 
tion all  the  more  trustworthy  because,  as  we  know, 
the  author  had  not  only  foreseen  the  occurrence, 
but  had  visited   the   Royalist  West  a  year  or  two 


250  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

before  the  outbreak.  Mr  Saintsbury  remarks  that 
the  episode  of  Ewan  of  Brigglands  in  *' Rob  Roy" 
is  "calmly  translated  verbatim"  into  this  romance. 
This  is  somewhat  of  an  exaggeration  ;  the  incident 
is  undoubtedly  "  conveyed,"  it  is  true,  but  is  retold 
in  more  graphic  style.  The  character  of  Jean 
Oullier  alone  should  give  this  book  life  :  he  is  a 
fine  study  of  the  Breton  peasant — cunning,  dogged, 
devoted,  pious — one  of  the  best  portraits  from  the 
hands  of  the  master. 

"  La  Maison  de  Glace,"  known  to  us  in  the 
sixties  as  "The  Russian  Gipsy,"  published  in  1859, 
was  another  outcome  of  the  visit  to  Russia  two 
years  before.  It  is  a  romance  of  the  court  of  the 
Empress  Anna,  in  the  early  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  full  of  intrigue  and  passion.  We  incline  to 
believe,  with  Maurel,  that  the  story  is  a  translation. 

Another  excursion  into  unfamiliar  regions  was 
"  L'lle  de  Feu,"  known  to  a  past  generation  in 
England  as  "  Doctor  Basilius."  This  was  probably 
written  with  an  assistant  who  knew  Java  well,  for 
it  is  a  weird  story  of  that  island,  the  interest 
afforded  by  the  people  and  customs  of  that  semi- 
barbarous  spot  being  heightened  by  a  suggestion 
of  the  supernatural.  "Truly  one  of  the  gems  of 
the  collection,"  writes  a  deep  student  of  Dumas, 
"the  concluding  volume  being  perhaps  among  his 
finest  work." 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  251 

"  Le  Pcre  la  Ruine,"  which  dates  from  this  period, 
resembles  "  Le  Chasseur  de  Sauvagine,"  "  Le  Fils 
du  Forcat,"  and  "Parisiens  et  Provinciaux,"  so  much 
as  to  suggest  Dumas  in  collaboration  with  de  Cher- 
ville  once  more.  It  is  a  pretty  but  sad  story,  in 
which,  as  in  "  Conscience,"  the  love  of  the  French 
peasant  for  the  soil  is  powerfully  shown. 

A  translation  of  Trelawney's  "Adventures  of  a 
Younger  Son,"  made  under  Dumas's  orders,  and 
known  as  "  Un  Cadet  de  Famille,"  and  one  of 
Gordon-Cumming's  'Adventures  of  a  Lion  Hunter," 
known  as  "  La  Vie  au  Desert,"  were  also  issued  in 
i860,  when  Dumas  set  out  on  that  tour  which 
ended  in  the  camp  of  Garibaldi.  For  some  time 
the  romancer  was  busy  following  the  fortunes  of 
the  "  red-shirts,"  editing  a  paper  at  Naples,  writing 
the  "  Memoires  de  Garibaldi,"  his  own  diary  as 
amateur  war  correspondent,  and  the  rest  ;  and  it 
was  not  until  1863  that  he  published  another 
romance  of  any  importance — "  Madame  de  Cham- 
blay."  According  to  the  circumstantial  account 
given  in  the  introduction,  the  manuscript  of  this 
story  was  sent  to  Dumas  by  a  friend,  whom  he 
had  met  at  Compiegne  In  1836,  when  on  a  visit 
to  the  young  Due  D'Orleans.  The  novel  tells  of 
a  young  wife,  an  unworthy  husband,  a  lover,  a 
potion  a  la  Juliet,  by  which  the  lady  escapes  from 
bondage,  and  promises  a  happy  life  for  lover  and 


252  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

mistress  in  a  distant  land.  In  spite  of  this  testi- 
mony, however,  Mr  Saintsbury  beHeves  Octave 
Feuillet  to  be  the  author  of  "  Madame  de  Cham- 
blay."  Be  that  as  it  may,  we  have  seen  that 
Dumas  does  not  claim  the  authorship  for  himself. 

"  Une  Nuit  a  Florence,"  published  in  1861,  is 
a  story  based  on  the  life-history  of  the  Medicis — 
a  favourite  topic  with  Dumas.  The  night  in 
question  is  the  2nd  or  3rd  January  1537/  and 
concerns  the  adventure  of  the  Duke  Alexander  de 
Medici,  who  is  finally  killed  by  his  cousin  Lorenzino, 
the  "  Brutus  "  of  his  day.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  compare  this  story  with  de  Musset's  play, 
"  Lorenzaccio,"  which  it  closely  resembles. 

About  this  time  (1862)  appeared  "  Une  Aventure 
dArnour,"  which  is  more  an  autobiographical  sketch 
and  a  record  of  the  author's  visit  to  Austria  in 
1856,  than  fiction.  Incidentally  it  shows  Dumas 
as  the  chivalrous  friend  of  a  beautiful  woman  in 
a  risky  and  equivocal  position.  "Herminie"  or 
"  Une  Amazone,"  which  is  bound  with  the  same 
volume,  is  of  earlier  date— about  1845.  It  is  a 
short  story  of  a  bal  niasqud  intrigue,  a  sort  of 
belated  "  Souvenir  dAntony,"  and  is  considered 
a  model  short  story  in  its  way. 

In  the  following  year — 1864 — came  Dumas's  last 

^  This  is  the  date  given  by  Dumas.  Authorities  disagree  as  to  the 
day,  and  even  as  to  the  year. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  253 

long   romance  (if  we   except    "  Le   Docteur    Mys- 
terieux,"  and  its  sequel),  "  La  San  Felice." 

"  La  San  Felice "  is  a  word  -  panorama  of  the 
strange  series  of  events  which  occurred  in  Naples 
in  1798  and  1799,  when  the  Bourbon  Ferdinand 
was  overthrown  by  the  Frencli,  in  the  former  year, 
and  was  restored  to  the  throne  by  Cardinal  Ruffo 
in  the  next.  We  know,  by  passages  in  "  Le 
Corricolo,"  that  the  events  of  this  time  had 
already  aroused  Dumas's  interest.  Pifteau,  who 
was  the  author's  secretary  at  the  time  the  romance 
was  written  (and  who  vouches  for  its  authenticity), 
tells  us  that  Dumas  whilst  at  Naples  wrote  a  history 
of  Ferdinand's  overthrow  and  return  known  as  the 
"  Histoire  des  Bourbons,"  or  "  I  Borboni  Napoli," 
for  the  paper  which  he  was  then  editing,  and  found 
the  series  of  events  far  too  exciting  and  extra- 
ordinary to  neglect.  Accordingly  "  La  San  Felice  " 
was  written.  The  characters  are  historical  throuo-h- 
out,  and  the  hapless  Luisa  San  Felice,  Ferdinand, 
"  King  of  the  Lazzarone,"  Nelson,  Lady  Hamilton, 
Fra  Diavolo,  Admiral  Caracciolo  ^  and  a  score  more, 
appear  "  in  their  habits  as  they  lived."  This  story 
shows  strikingly  the  change  which  has  come  over 

^  Incidentally,  the  story  of  Nelson's  hanging  of  Caracciolo  is  intro- 
duced, and  treated  from  the  French  and  humanitarian  point  of  view. 
The  "case  for  Nelson"  is  presented  in  Mr  Sladen's  book  "The 
Admiral,"  which  contains  exhaustive  quotations  from  original  docu- 
ments. 


254  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  author  during  the  past  twenty  years.  The 
"pace,"  is  now  comparatively  slow ;  one  is  no  longer 
swept  off  one's  feet,  as  with  the  "  Mousquetaires." 
The  author  unfolds  his  tale  deliberately,  but  with 
much  of  his  old  charm,  stepping  carefully  from 
document  to  document,  and  weaving  half  a  score 
of  threads  together  with  a  patience  and  dignity  of 
style  akin  to  Scott.  "  La  San  Felice  "  was  followed 
by  "  Emma  Lyonna,"  in  which  is  told  the  story  of 
Lady  Hamilton's  career,  being  a  p'cturesque  version, 
it  is  said,  of  that  fascinating  woman's  "  Memoirs." 
A  supplementary  sequel,  "  Les  Souvenirs  d'une 
Favorite,"  appeared  in  1865.  Lady  Hamilton 
played  a  prominent  part  in  the  events  described 
in  "  La  San  Felice,"  and  Dumas  was  evidently 
led  on  by  his  interest  in  that  picturesque  person- 
ality to  make  her  the  central  figure  in  succeeding 
volumes. 

Readers  who  are  inclined  to  disparage  Dumas's 
later  work,  particularly  the  products  of  the  "  sixties," 
are  advised  to  try  "  Parisiens  et  Provinciaux,"  issued 
this  year,  written  with  the  Comte  de  Chervil le. 
The  scene  shifts  from  Paris  to  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  author's  beloved  Villers-Cotterets,  and  is  in 
fact  a  humorous  comparison  of  the  city  cockney 
(typified  in  the  delightful  person  of  M.  Peluche) 
and  the  "  rustic  "  Madeleine.  The  story  might  have 
taken  the  title  of  the  author's  first  little  play  "  La 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  255 

Chasse  et  rAmour,"  for  the  humours  of  the  chase 
and  a  sHght  but  pretty  love-story  are  the  chief 
attractions  of  this  book,  which  is  one  of  the  best  of 
that  class  of  novels  written  by  Dumas  and  yet  so 
neglected  by  his  admirers, — the  slight,  humorous 
story  of  modern  humble  life. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  in  the  closing 
years  of  his  life  Dumas  tried  his  hand  once  more 
at  a  "  romance  of  cape-and-sword."  The  reader 
will  search  the  comprehensive  list  of  MM.  Calmann- 
Levy  in  vain  for  any  record  of  it.  In  the  early 
part  of  1 866 — so  Ferry  asserts — the  editor  of  Les 
Nouvelles  appealed  to  Dumas  for  an  historical 
romance  in  his  famous  style,  and  Dumas  agreed 
to  think  the  matter  over.  He  found  an  excellent 
subject  in  the  career  of  "  Le  Comte  de  Moret," 
that  illegitimate  son  of  Henri  Quatre  who  dis- 
appeared so  mysteriously  during  the  battle  of 
Castelnaudary,  and  whose  body  was  never  found. 
He  had  already  treated  this  subject  in  that  charm- 
ing story,  "  La  Colombe."  The  first  number  of 
th.e  feinlht 0)1,  Ferry  tells  us,  promised  an  engrossing 
story ;  but  unhappily  other  preoccupations,  other 
work,  took  Dumas's  attention  from  the  romance, 
which  flagged.  He  lost  the  thread  of  the  narra- 
tive, which  became  merely  a  chronique,  full  of  long 
extracts  from  the  memoirs  of  Pontis,  Delaporte,  and 
from  other  historical  documents  of  the  seventeenth 


256  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

century.  It  suddenly  ceased  to  appear,  and  was 
never  heard  of  more.  But  although  the  romance 
is  not  now  accessible,  a  wretched  American  transla- 
tion published  at  the  time,  and  happily  preserved, 
shows  that  the  story  has  been  underrated  by  M. 
Ferry.  Some  of  it,  indeed,  is  excellent,  notably 
the  chapter  in  which  Corneille  is  introduced  to  the 
pr^cieuses  ridicules  of  the  day ;  and  Richelieu's 
intrigues,  and  the  incident  of  the  "day  of  dupes," 
are  Dumas  as  we  know  him  best.  The  period  of 
"  Le  Comte  de  Moret"  just  precedes  that  of  the 
"  Mousquetaires." 

Two  of  the  last  volumes  of  fiction  from  the  pen 
of  the  fast-ageing  writer  were  of  the  revolutionary 
period.^  "  Les  Blancs  et  les  Bleus"  (1S67)  like 
the  "  Compagnons,"  was  suggested  by  Nodier's 
"  Souvenirs  de  la  Revolution,"  and  Dumas  in  ac- 
knowledgment introduces  his  old  friend  into  the 
story.  It  is  interesting  chiefly  for  the  dramatic 
episode  of  Euloge  Schneider  the  "  red,"  who  bar- 
gained for  the  hand  of  a  Royalist  maiden,  as  the 
price  of  her  father's  life.  "  Les  Blancs  et  les 
Bleus,"  the  scene  of  which  is  laid  in  Strasbourg  in 
December  1793,  was  dedicated,  with  a  gleam  of 
the  author's  old  wit,  to  the  memory  of  Nodier,  his 

^  "  La  Terreur  Prussienne,"  although  technically  a  novel,  derives 
its  chief  interest  and  value  from  its  historical  matter,  and  is  therefore 
dealt  with  in  that  capacity. 


ALEXANDRE  DUIMAS  257 

illustrious  friend  and  "  collaborator."  "  I  have  said 
'collaborator,'"  he  adds,  "because  people  would 
give  themselves  a  lot  of  trouble  in  finding  another 
one,  and  their  time  would  be  wasted."  The 
veteran  still  held  his  grip  of  his  facts,  and  of  his 
reader;  but  the  sequel,  "  Le  Huitieme  Croisade," 
which  now  forms  the  latter  part  of  "  Les  Blancs  et 
les  Bleus,"  is  chiefly  a  spirited  chronique  of  the  siege 
of  Acre.  And  on  that  last  effort,  made  in  1869,  the 
year  before  Dumas's  death,  the  curtain  falls. 
***** 

At  occasional  intervals  Dumas  issued  books  of 
tales  for  children,  one  of  which  ("  Le  Capitaine 
Pamphile ")  we  have  already  mentioned.  Of  the 
others,  "  La  Bouillie  de  la  Comtesse  Berthe  "  is  the 
most  notable :  it  is  a  pretty  story,  in  which  the 
"Castle  of  Otranto"  seems  turned  into  a  haunt  for 
dwarfs  and  a  delight  for  little  readers.  "  Le  Pere 
Gigogne  "  opens  with  a  story  ("  La  Lievre  de  mon 
grandpere")  told  to  Dumas  by  de  Cherville  and 
recounted  by  him  ;  but  the  rest  of  the  two  volumes 
contains  fairy-tales,  chiefly  translations  from  tians 
Christian  Andersen  and  the  German. 

In  reply  to  an  enquiry  from  us  Mr  Lang  writes 
to  say  that  although  he  has  not  these  stories  by 
him,  he  thinks  it  unlikely  that  any  are  original.  In 
spite  of  this  weighty  opinion  we  are  reluctant  to 
part  with  two  or  three  tales,  notably  "  La  Jeunesse 


258  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

de  Pierrot."  This  verdict  also  disposes  of  the  tales 
in  "  L'Homme  aux  Contes "  :  "  L'Histoire  d'un 
casse  -  noisette,"  is,  we  know,  an  adaptation  of 
Hoffmann's  story  of  the  same  name. 

Next  to  the  plays,  with  which  we  have  not  dealt 
for  reasons  already  given,  and  to  the  romances, 
come  the  travels — if  not  in  importance,  at  least  in 
originality.  These  volumes  abound  in  gaiety,  in 
brief  sketches  of  dialogue,  of  history,  of  archaeology, 
of  personal  adventure — in  short,  they  make  a 
'ntdlange,  a  savoury  stew,  with  Dumas  for  cook ! 
Parigot  suggests  that  they  should  be  called  "Im- 
pressions produites  par  Dumas  en  Voyage,"  and 
declares  "  he  is  charming  thus " ;  though  with  a 
touch  of  satire  he  adds,  "  one  scarcely  exaggerates 
when  one  says  that  the  beauty  of  a  country  was  to 
Dumas  in  proportion  to  the  native  admiration  for 
his  books."  Of  the  first  trip,  "  En  Suisse"  (1833), 
we  have  already  given  some  account ;  then  followed 
those  on  "La  Midi  de  la  France  "  and  "  Les  Bords  du 
Rhin  "(1841),  the  former  containing  "  La  Chasse  au 
Chastre  "  and  other  excellent  reading  ;  the  latter,  pro- 
bably written  with  the  help  of  Gerard  de  Nerval, 
tellinof,  amonorst  other  matter,  of  Waterloo  and 
Marceau,  of  Rubens,  and  the  clevil-tempted  archi- 
tect of  Cologne  cathedral.  Italy  and  the  Medi- 
terranean yielded  the  finest  crop  of  "impressions," 
and  there  appeared  in  rapid  succession  "  Une  Ann^e 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  259 

a  Florence"  (in  1841),  and  "  Lc  Capitaine  Arena," ^ 
followed  by  "  Le  Corricolo  "  and  "  Le  Speronare  " 
in  the  next  two  years.  "  It  must  be  said,"  admits 
Fitzgerald,  "  that  the  '  Corricolo,'  an  account  of 
Naples,  and  the  'Speronare,'  an  account  of  Florence 
— both  written  by  Dumas's  friend  Fiorentin  under 
his  direction — are  as  spirited  and  amusing  books  of 
travc'ls  as  can  be  found."  "  La  Villa  Palmieri  "  is 
another  volume  of  souvenirs  of  Florence. 

In  1846,  as  will  be  remembered,  Dumas  set  out 
for  Madrid,  to  be  present  at  the  royal  wedding,  and 
the  following  year  his  description  of  Spain  was 
issued,  in  "  Paris  a  Cadix."  "  Spain  had  had  little  in- 
fluence on  his  genius,  it  is  true,"  says  Parigot,  "  but 
what  impressions  he  has  left  us !  The  very  custom- 
house officers  respected  the  baggage  of  the  illus- 
trious Frenchman  ;  the  author  of  '  Monte  Cristo ' 
was  received  with  open  arms  ;  the  French  school- 
masters left  their  work  to  escort  him  hither  and 
thither,  and  the  great  hidalgos  paid  him  homage  of 
courtesy."  As  a  consequence,  "  Paris  a  Cadix"  is 
full  of  verve  and  gaiety,  bull-fights,  dances,  and  the 
rest.  "  Le  V^loce,"  issued  two  years  later,  is  a 
description  of  Dumas's  adventures  in  that  state- 
vessel    along    the    coast   of   North   Africa.      Of  the 

^  "  Le  Capitaine  Arena"  lells  of  a  tour  round  Sicily  in  a  vessel 
commanded  by  that  seaman.  A  "speronare"  is  a  light  coasting- 
vessel  used  by  the  Italians  ;  a  "corricolo,"  a  carriage  used  by  the 
Neapohtans — a  sort  of  "  tilbury." 


2G0  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

travels  "En  Russie "  (1865)  and  "  Le  Cancase  " 
(1859)  we  have  already  spoken,  and  there  only 
remains  "  Ouinze  jours  a  Sinai,"  written  in  1839,  a 
book  remarkable  for  the  fact  that  althouo^h  Dumas 
was  never  in  Palestine  (he  wrote  the  volume  from 
the  drawings  of  Dauzats  and  Baron  Taylor's  notes), 
it  was  declared  by  a  Caliph  to  be  the  most  faithful 
description  of  the  Holy  Land  that  he  had  ever  read  ! 
Its  author,  we  can  believe,  was  delighted  to  find  he 
had  revealed  the  East  to  the  Orientals. 

We  must  not  omit  "  Un  Pays  Inconnu,"  1865  (an 
account  of  a  visit  to  the  land  of  the  Aztecs  in  South 
America,  and  written  from  the  notes  of  a  certain  Mr 
Middleton- Payne  of  New  York),  if  only  because  of 
the  incidental  assertion,  unmistakably  made,  that 
Dumas  had  visited  the  United  States.  It  seems  in- 
credible that  a  man  who  travelled  in  the  public  eye, 
as  it  were,  and  whose  journeys  abroad  were  invari- 
ably turned  to  delightful  account,  could  have  gone 
to  America  unnoticed,  and  returned  to  leave  his 
visit  unrecorded.  We  know  that  Dumas  wished  to 
cross  the  Atlantic,  but  was  restrained  by  a  natural 
fear  that  his  negro  descent  might  lay  him  open 
to  humiliating  rebuffs.  Probably,  either  Dumas 
"  bluffed  "  his  readers  more  hardily  than  usual,  or 
else  the  introduction  and  notes  were  written  by  a 
'prentice  who  had  had  the  desired  experience. 

Not  yet  have  we  exhausted  the  catalogue  of  this 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  2G1 

universal  writer  !  Here  are  historical  studies  by  the 
teens  of  volumes — a  presentment  of  old  facts  from 
a  refreshingly  new  point  of  view.  "  Gaule  et 
France,"  a  concise  sketch  of  French  history,  began 
the  series,  being  written,  it  is  said,  to  divert  Dumas's 
mind  from  the  cholera  epidemic.  Its  author  is 
accused  of  having  borrowed  passages  from  Thierry 
and  others ;  and  this  is  quite  possible.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  forrii,  design,  and  aim  of  the  work 
were  Dumas's  own,  and  the  closing  passages  which 
so  faithfully  prophesy  the  Second  Republic  of  fifteen 
years  later — with  a  president,  elected  by  the  people 
for  five  years,  and  so  forth — is  quoted  by  Blaze  de 
Bury  in  full,  as  proof  of  the  romancer's  political 
foresight.  Then  came  "  Napoleon"  (1839);  "  Les 
Stuarts"  {1840) — in  w'hich  Dumas  largely  availed 
himself  of  Scott's  "Abbot  "  ;  "  Jehanne  la  Pucelle," 
(1842),  which  is  half  a  romance;  "Louis  XIV.  et 
son  Siecle "  (1844),  his  most  important  history; 
"  Les  Medicis  "  (1845)  ;  "  La  Regence  "  and 
"Louis  XV.  et  sa  Cour "  (1849);  "Louis  XVI. 
et  la  Revolution"  (1850);  "'93"  {1851);  and  a 
"  Histoire  de  Louis-Philippe"  (1852).  A  series  of 
portraits  in  undress,  "  Grands  Hommes  en  Robe- 
de-Chambre,"  was  sketched,  but  only  "  Cesar " 
(1857),  "Henri  IV."  (1866),  and  "Louis  XIII. 
et  Richelieu  '  (1866)  appeared.  "  Perhaps," 
added    Dumas,    "  if   these    studies   meet    with   sue- 


262  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

cess,  we  shall  try  to  go  backward  as  far  as  Alex- 
ander, and  forward  as  far  as  Napoleon."  Evidently 
the  series  did  not  appeal  to  Dumas's  public. 

Of  one  of  these  books  its  author  tells  an  amusing 
anecdote.  He  was  chatting  with  a  somewhat  super- 
cilious savant,  and  incidentally  mentioned  that  he 
had  written  a  history  of  Caesar. 

"  You  have  written  a  history  of  Caesar  ?  "  repeated 
the  incredulous  listener  with  a  smile. 

"Yes." 

"  You  ?  " 

"Why  not?" 

"  Pardon  !  But  it  has  not  been  spoken  of  amongst 
scholars  ..." 

"  Oh,  the  scholars  never  speak  of  me." 

"  But  a  history  of  Caesar  should  have  caused  some 
sensation  ?  .   .  ." 

*'  Mine  caused  none  ;  people  read  it,  that's  all. 
It  is  the  unreadable  histories  which  make  sensa- 
tions ;  they  are  like  the  dinners  which  one  doesn't 
digest ;  the  dinners  which  one  does  digest,  one  has 
forgotten  by  next  day." 

Of  these  excursions  into  history  "  La  Route  de 
Varennes "  (i860)  and  "La  Terreur  Prussienne " 
(1867)  are  two  of  the  most  valuable.  The  former 
was  an  attempt  to  write  the  story  of  Louis  XVI. 's 
flight  from  Paris,  of  which  historical  accounts  seemed 
confusing  and  contradictory.      Dumas  followed   the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  2G3 

course  of  the  royal  fugitive  step  by  step,  and 
Maxime  Du  Camp,  who  had  himself  studied  the 
epoch  carefully,  testified  to  Dumas's  accuracy  and 
skill  in  the  revision  of  the  work  of  trusted  historians. 
The  "Terreur,"  in  spite  of  its  fiction-form,  is  practi- 
cally a  stud)'  of  the  Prusso- Austrian  war,  made  on 
the  spot,  and  full  of  shrewd  observation  and  dis- 
quieting forebodings,  soon  to  be  justifiied.  We 
should  add  here  "  Les  Garibaldiens,"  Dumas's  diary 
as  amateur  and  volunteer  war  correspondent  in 
i860 — a  crisp,  intelligent,  restrained  account  of  the 
Sicilian  campaign. 

Certainly  not  the  least  attractive  of  Dumas's 
writings  are  those  in  which  he  writes  frankly  of 
himself,  his  friends,  his  pets,  and  all  that  concerns 
his  life  and  w^ork.  Of  these,  the  first  in  order  and 
importance  is  "  ^Nles  Memoires,"  commenced  in  the 
forties,  but  written  "in  exile"  in  1S52-54,  when 
leisure  allowed  the  adventurous  author  to  look  back 
upon  his  early  life.  Dr  Garnett  speaks  of  them  as 
"those  wondrous  'Memoires'  which,  as  it  is  incon- 
ceivable that  anyone  but  himself  should  have  written 
them,  alone  suffice  to  establish  his  genius."  The 
ten  volumes  cover  the  period  of"  childhood,  the  early 
struggles  and  triumphs,  the  Revolution  of  1830,  and 
end  abruptly  at  the  time  of  the  Swiss  tour,  1S32-33. 
But  the  "  Memoires "  contain  much  more  than 
Dumas's    own    history ;    he    chronicles  the   political 


[  Translatiott."] 
MY  FATHER 

My  father,  who  has  already  been  mentioned  twice  in  the  fore- 
going chapter,  firstly,  a  propos  of  my  certificate  of  birth,  and 
again,  in  connection  with  his  own  marriage-contract,  was 
General  Thomas-Alexandre  Dumas  Davy  de  la  Pailleterie. 

He  was,  as  we  have  shown  in  the  documents  cited  by  us 
son  of  the  Marquis  Antoine-Alexandre  Davy  de  la  Pailleterie, 
Colonel  and  Commissary-General  of  Artillery,  who  owned  by 
inheritance  the  estate  of  La  Pailleterie,  raised  to  a  Marquisate 
by  Louis  XIV.  in  1707. 

The  arms  of  the  family  were  :  "  d''aziir  a  trois  aigles  cTor, 
aux  vols  ^ployes  pour  deux,  et  un  avec  un  anneau  d'argent 
place  en  ca^ur,  embrasses  par  les  griffes  dextres  et  senestres  des 
angles  du  chef,  et  reposant  sur  la  tete  de  Vaigle  de  pointed 

My  father,  when  enlisting  as  a  simple  soldier,  or  rather, 
when  renouncing  both  title  and  coat-of-arms,  adopted  instead 
the  simple  device  "  Deus  dcdit  ;  Deus  dabit  " — a  device  which 
would  have  sounded  ambitious,  if  God  himself  had  not  counter- 
signed it. 

I  do  not  know  what  secret  discontent  or  speculative  plan 
determined  my  grandfather  to  quit  France,  about  1760,  sell  his 
estate  and  go  off  to  take  up  his  abode  in  San  Domingo. 

As  a  result  of  this  resolution  he  bought  an  immense  stretch 
of  land  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the  island  near  Cape 
Rose  and  known  as  La  Guinodce,  or  the  Trou  de  Jcrcmie. 

It  was  there  that  my  father  was  born,  of  Louise-Cessette 
Dumas  and  the  Marquis  de  la  Pailleterie,  on  March  25th,  1762. 
The  Marquis  was  then  fifty-two  years  of  age,  having  been  born 
in  1710. 

My  father  first  saw  the  light  in  the  most  beautiful  spot  in  that 
magnificent  island,  queen  of  the  gulf  in  which  it  is  situated, 
and  of  which  the  air  is  so  pure  that  no  venomous  reptile  can 
exist  there. 


264 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  265 

events  of  the  time,  and  sketches  the  characters  of 
his  famous  contemporaries.  It  is  evident  that  even 
the  stout-hearted  Alexandre  himself  shirked  the 
task  of  bringing  such  a  record  up  to  date.  Needless 
to  add,  these  volumes  are  full  of  entertainment. 
The  "  Causeries "  {i860)  contain  the  sketches  of 
travel  in  England,  chatty  fragments  of  autobio- 
graphy, and  two  jeux  d' esprit.  The  two  volumes 
of  "  Bric-a-brac,"  issued  the  following  year,  are 
similar  in  nature — "  Propos  d'art,  de  cuisine  " — et 
de  Dumas.  "  Les  Morts  vont  vite  "  contains  appre- 
ciations of  the  author's  friends,  de  Musset,  Chateau- 
briand, Beranger,  and  recollections  of  Marie  Dorval, 
and  others.  The  "  Histoire  de  mes  Betes"  (1S68) 
shows  us  Dumas  as  he  was  in  the  forties,  en  faniille 
at  Monte  Cristo,  amongst  his  dogs,  monkeys,  ser- 
vants, and  hangers-on.  The  "  Souvenirs  drama- 
tiques"  (1868)  are  written  with  an  unusual  degree  of 
dignity  for  Dumas,  and  with  a  genial  masterhood  of 
stage-craft.  The  studies  in  criticism,  the  apprecia- 
tion of  Shakespeare,  and  the  views  expressed  on 
the  art  of  the  playwright,  and  the  management 
of  the  theatre,  are  all  excellent  in  matter  and 
manner. 

Two  volumes  of  "  Memoires"  with  which  Dumas's 
name  has  been  associated  are  not  easy  to  classify. 
One  is  the  "  Memoires  d' Horace,"  published  in 
i860.      It  was  supposed  to  be  taken  from  an  MS. 


266  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

in  the  library  of  the  Vatican,  and  is,  Ghnel  tells  us, 
"une  orrande  fantaisie  sur  Rome  ancienne."  It 
is  not  now  accessible.  The  "  Memoires  de 
Talma,"  on  the  other  hand,  were  written  by 
Dumas  from  memoranda  left  by  the  great  trage- 
dian, and  have  been  recognised  by  Fournel,  J. 
Cherbuliez,  and  others,  to  be  practically  a  bio- 
graphy of  the  actor,  written  by  his  young  admirer, 
in  after  years. 

One  other  work  also  stands  in  a  class  by  itself. 
This  is  "  Crimes  Celebres,"  which  appeared  in 
1839-40.  The  series  was  founded  on  the  "  Causes 
Celebres "  of  Gayot  de  Pithaval ;  the  excellent 
material  afforded  by  that  industrious  person  was 
divested  of  formality  and  tediousness,  and  rewritten 
with  all  the  animation  and  dramatic  effect  for  which 
the  novelist  was  noted.  The  records  were  com- 
pared by  Dumas  with  the  best  authorities  on  the 
subject,  and  the  romances  of  real  life  written  with 
scrupulous  attention  to  accuracy.  Arnould,  Fournier, 
Fiorentino,  and  Mallefille  were  responsible  for  some 
chapters,  which  consisted  of  the  following :  "  Les 
Borgia,"  "  La  Comtesse  de  St  Geran,"  "Jeanne  de 
Naples,"  "  Nisida,"  "La  Marquise  de  Brinvilliers," 
"  Les  Cenci,"  "  La  Marquise  de  Ganges,"  "  Karl 
Ludwig  Sand"  (the  murderer  of  Kotzebue),  "  Van- 
inka"  and  "  Urbain  Grandier."  (This  last  was 
dramatised  by  the  author.)     The  whole  scheme  of 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  267 

the  book  is  of  course  Dumas's,  and  some  of  the 
chapters  appeared  in  his  different  "  Impressions  de 
Voyage." 

Dumas  the  poet  is  perhaps  best  represented  by 
"Charles  VII.  et  ses  grands  Vassaux,"  and  by 
"Christine";  but  M.  GHnel  has  collected  a  con- 
siderable number  of  fugitive  poems,  most  of  which 
appeared  in  the  "  Psyche."  ^  They  prove  what, 
indeed,  Dumas's  tragedy-dramas  show,  that  he  had 
le  mouverneiit,  la  couleur  et  r image,  and  expressed 
passion  with  a  rare  vigour  and  warmth.  "Although 
lacking  a  sure  knowledge  of  syntax,"  says  Parigot, 
"  and  deficient  in  mastery  of  form,  he  sparkled  with 
gaiety  and  youth,  even  in  verse.  The  man  who 
wrote  the  lion  chase,  the  dream  of  the  desert,  and 
the  fifth  act  of  '  Charles  VII.';  the  '  spirituel '  couplets 
in  '  L'Alchimiste,'  and,  above  all,  the  prologue  to 
'Caligula'  is  not  a  poet  to  be  despised."  What, 
indeed,  did  this  marvellous  man  attempt,  that  he 
did  not  in  some  degree  achieve  ?  Of  the  thirty  or 
forty  poems  thus  preserved,  the  elegy  on  the  death 
of  General  Foy,  the  dithyrambe  "  Canaris,"  in  praise 
of  that  heroic  Greek,  and  the  verses  to  Hugo  and 
Sainte-Beuve,  deserve  mention.  In  selecting  one  of 
Dumas's  poems  for  quotation,  we  have  chosen  what 
we  believe  to  be  one  of  the  best  and  most  typical. 

^  Dumas  translated  a  number  of  poems  from  German  and  Russian 
writers,  but  these  are  not  now  accessible. 


268  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

It  is  "La  Sylphe,"  one  of  the  fairy  race  which  we 
meet  in  the  "  Rape  of  the  Lock  "  : 

Je  suis  un  sylphe,  une  ombre,  un  rien,  un  reve, 
Hote  de  I'air,  esprit  mystdrieux, 
Lcger  parfum,  que  le  zifphir  enleve, 
Anneau  vivant,  qui  joint  rhomme  et  les  dieux 

De  mon  corps  pur  les  rayons  diaphanes 
Flottent  meles  k  la  vapeur  du  soir  ; 
Mais  je  me  cache  aux  regards  des  profanes, 
Et  Tame  seule  en  songe  peut  me  voir. 

Rasant  du  lac  la  nappe  dtincelante 
D'un  vol  leger  j'effleure  les  roseaux  ; 
Et,  balance  sur  mon  aile  brillante, 
J'aime  h.  me  voir  dans  le  cristal  des  eaux. 

Dans  vos  jardins  quelque  fois  je  voltige  ; 
Et,  m'enivrant  de  suaves  odeurs, 
Sans  que  mon  pied  fasse  incliner  leur  tige, 
J  e  me  suspends  au  calice  des  fleurs. 

Dans  vos  foyers  j'entre  avec  confiance, 
Et,  recreant  son  ceil  clos  a  demi, 
J'aime  k  verser  des  songes  d'innocence 
Sur  le  front  pur  d'un  enfant  endormi. 

Lorsque  sur  vous  la  nuit  jette  son  voile 
Je  glisse  aux  cieux  comme  un  long  filet  d'or, 
Et  les  mortals  disent  "  C'est  une  ctoile 
Qui  d'un  ami  vous  presage  la  mort." 

We  are  far  from  pretending  that  the  foregoing  is 
a  complete  review  of  its  subject.  The  task  is  an 
almost  endless  one,  and  there  are  limits  to  time  and 
space  and  the  patience  of  readers.  We  submit, 
however,  that  this  analytical  description  is  in 
advance    of    public    knowledge    in     England    and 


ALEXANDRE  DUINIAS  269 

America  at  least,  and  that  it  has  served  a  two-fold 
purpose.  It  has,  we  hope,  told  the  reader  something 
new  about  the  books  he  knows,  and  has  given  him 
an  idea,  however  slight,  of  the  nature  and  authen- 
ticity  of  other  works  by  our  author  of  which  he 
has  probably  never  heard.  We  trust  we  shall 
have  led  him  to  marvel,  as  we  have  marvelled,  at 
the  fact  that  so  much  which  is  good,  and  which  is 
undoubtedly  "  genuine  Dumas,"  should  remain 
untranslated  and  almost  forgotten.  A  good  dozen 
of  the  minor  romances  have  been  translated  into 
English  and  allowed  to  go  out  of  print.  Yet  we 
have  shown,  we  think,  that  there  is  plenty  of 
excellent  fish  in  this  wide,  wide  sea  which  has  not 
as  yet  been  landed  on  our  shores  in  the  net  of  the 
translator. 

One  other  point  cannot  have  escaped  attention. 
Our  most  serious  admissions  respecting  Dumas's 
integrity  have  been  made  in  the  course  of  this 
examination  of  the  authenticity  of  the  various  books 
attributed  to  him.  In  the  case  of  collaboration,  we 
declare  that  Dumas  was  ever  the  greater  brain,  the 
"predominant  partner,"  and  deserves  the  most 
credit.  But  in  cases  where  his  name  is  attached, 
obviously  or  confessedly  to  books  untouched  by  his 
pen,  his  responsibility  is  grave.  Yet  even  here  it  is 
well  to  discriminate  between  the  man  who  issued 
the  book  with  a  frank  disavowal  of  authorship,  and 


270  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  publishers  of  his  day  who  sent  it  forth  as  "  the 
master's."^  Like  Goldsmith,  Dumas  became  a 
bondman  to  his  publishers,  and  yielded  weakly  to 
them.  His  reputation  has  suffered  accordingly,  as 
was  only  right ;  but  we  believe  that  when  the  wheat 
of  his  own  growing  is  sifted  from  the  chaff,  as  one 
day  it  will  be,  and  when  the  truth  has  prevailed 
over  slander,  Dumas,  as  a  man  and  as  a  writer,  will 
stand  hiorher  than  he  has  ever  done. 

o 

^  We  need  hardly  say  that  this  in  no  way  reflects  on  the  present 
publishers  of  Dumas,  MM.  Calmann-Ldvy. 


PART    III 

HIS    GENIUS 

A  Defence— A  Counterclaim 


His  Genius:    A  Defence. 

Dumas  was  once  asked  for  a  subscription  towards  a 
monument  to  a  man  whom  everyone  had  reviled  in 
the  beginning  of  his  career. 

"You  had  better  be  content,"  he  repHed,  "with 
the  stones  that  people  threw  at  him  during  his 
lifetime.  No  monument  you  can  raise  will  be  so 
eloquent  of  their  imbecility,  and  his  genius."  There 
was  a  savour  of  bitterness  in  this  speech  which  was 
only  too  natural. 

"  There  never  was  a  popular  writer,"  declared 
Hayward  thirty  years  ago,  "  who  had  better  reason 
than  Alexandre  Dumas  to  protest  against  the 
contemporary  judgment  of  his  countrymen,  or  to 
appeal,  like  Bacon,  to  the  foreign  nations  and  the 
next  ages."  Charles  Reade,  writing  in  the  French 
novelist's  lifetime,  implies  the  existence  of  the  same 
attitude  towards  our  author's  genius  in  this  forcible 
comment :  "  Poor  Dumas !  He  has  not  only  pro- 
duced immortal  stories  and  immortal  plays,  each  by 
the  dozen,  but  also  a  son  who  has  shown  himselr 
master  of  the  story  and  the  drama.  But  what  avails 
that  treble  fertility.'*     If  five  generations  of  Dumas, 

novelist  and  dramatist,  were  now  on  earth  together, 

273 


274  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

instead  of  two,  our  puppy-dogs,  drunk  with  moon- 
shine, would  manage  to  look  at  them  all  and  not  see 
any  of  them  !  " 

It  was  the  fashion  to  treat  our  author  as  the  chief 
of  a  school  of  second-rate  writers  of  popular  stories, 
which  were  "turned  out"  hastily,  and  which  there- 
fore possessed  no  claim  to  criticism.  "  Dumas," 
adds  Dr  Garnett,  "  exceptionally  passed  for  long  as 
an  example  of  this  inferior  grade  of  authorship.  At 
one  time  it  would  have  been  thought  absurd  to 
parallel  him  with  deep  thinkers  like  Balzac,  or 
exquisite  artists  like  George  Sand.  *  Monte  Cristo' 
and  the  '  Three  Musketeers '  were  ranged  alon<7 
with  '  The  Mysteries  of  Paris '  and  *  The  Wandering 
Jew,'  and  the  circumstances  of  their  reproduction  in 
England  showed  that  they  were  expected  to  appeal 
to  readers  of  the  same  class.  Yet  as  time  passed, 
and  mere  clever  melodrama  gave  place  to  other 
clever  melodrama  but  Dumas  retained  his  power 
and  popularity,  it  became  clear  that  his  work  really 
belonged  to  the  domain  of  literature.  In  adjusting 
the  relations  between  Dumas  and  his  critics,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  he  did  not,  like  some  of  the 
literary  heroes  of  his  age,  take  the  world  by  storm 
with  his  earliest  writings.  .  .  .  But  Dumas  had 
acquired  a  good  sound  reputation  as  a  second-rate 
romancer  before  writing  '  Monte  Cristo,'  and  criticism 
was  naturally  slow  to  accept  him  as  a  genius." 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  275 

Wc  come  down  to  1880,  and  find  Mr  \V.  H, 
Pollock  asserting  in  the  "  Nineteenth  Century"  that 
"  Dumas  has  perhaps  been  more  persistently  under- 
rated, in  England  at  least,  than  any  modern  writer 
of  his  calibre  ;  "  and  five  years  later  Blaze  de  Bury, 
in  his  study  of  our  subject,  refers  to  public  opinion 
in  France,  when  he  writes  : — "  Dumas  is  popular ; 
he  is  not  kiiown.  His  method  of  life  and  his 
occasional  worthless  books  greatly  damaged  his 
literary  position.  He  is  usually  looked  upon 
simply  as  an  'amuser,'  and  yet,  like  others,  and 
more  than  many  others,  he  had  his  moments  of 
lofty  thought  and  philosophy,"  "  Even  to  be 
'amusing,'"  as  Parigot  drily  remarks,  "is  not,  when 
one  looks  round  the  world  of  literature,  so  common- 
place and  contemptible  a  merit,  after  all." 

Nevertheless,  in  one  province  of  literary  opinion 
there  has  been  a  striking  change  during  the  past 
twenty  or  thirty  years.  The  English  literary 
critics  and  essayists  of  the  romantic  school,  as  we 
shall  see,  have  more  and  more  loudly  proclaimed 
their  admiration  of  Dumas.  Still  the  public  at 
larsfe  remains  ignorant  and  unconverted.  Its 
attitude  towards  the  romance-writer  is  thirty  )ears 
behind  the  times,  and  dates  from  the  days  when 
"  Chambers's  Encyclopaedia  "  treated  our  author  in 
this  summary  fashion  : 

**  It  may  be  said  that  the  appearance  in  literature 


276  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

of  a  writer  like  Dumas  Is  a  portentous  phenomenon, 
and  the  avidity  with  which  his  invariably  immoral 
and  generally  licentious  fictions  are  devoured  is  the 
most  severe  condemnation  of  modern,  and  especially 
of  French  society,  that  could  well  be  pronounced." 

That  is  pretty  well,  and  one  is  rather  relieved,  for 
Dumas's  sake,  to  find  that  the  biographer  has 
previously  declared  that  the  novelist  did  not  write 
his  own  books  at  all.  We  read  further  of  "  the 
savage  voluptuousness  "  of  his  books  (the  "  savage 
voluptuousness  "  of  the  "  Tulipe  Noire  "  is  good),  of 
his  "  astounding  quackery,"  and  of  his  "  sweating 
system "  of  production.  Need  we  add  that  the 
"brief  biography"  refers  us  to  "  De  Mirecourt "  ."^ 

Happily  the  "Encyclopaedia"  has  retrieved 
Itself,  and  its  latest  edition  contains  a  sketch  of 
Dumas's  life,  from  the  pen  of  Mr  W.  E.  Henley, 
which,  In  the  old-fashioned  language  of  our  fathers, 
"  does  equal  honour  to  that  writer's  head  and  heart." 
We  learn  from  R.  L.  Stevenson's  "  Letters "  that 
his  collaborator  In  "  Beau  Austin "  was  contem- 
plating a  book  on  Dumas  some  years  ago.  There 
is,  Indeed,  a  passage  in  "Memories  and  Portraits" 
which  was  written  at  Henley — "  something  about 
Dumas  still  waiting  his  biographer."  It  Is  truly 
a  pity  that  the  author  of  "Views  and  Reviews" 
never  wrote  this  book,  and  did  not  obviate  the 
necessity  for  the  present  work  by  giving  the  public 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  277 

an  estimation  of  the  Qrreat  Frenchman  which  would 
say  what  should  be  said,  with  all  the  literary  power 
and  critical  authority  which  that  writer  can  command 

Unfortunately  the  other  ordinary  books  of  refer- 
ence still  repeat  the  old  story  of  prejudice  and 
spite.  We  have  already  mentioned  that  there 
is  only  one  book  in  English  dealing  w^ith 
Dumas's  life  and  WTitings,  a  work  which  the 
critics  have  heartily  condemned.  We  need  only 
add,  by  way  of  summing  up  their  views,  that  it 
ought  fitly  to  be  entitled  "  Dumas  According  to 
his  Enemies:  by  One'of  Them."  In  France  no 
adequate  biography  exists  :  on  the  one  hand  there 
are  the  "studies"  of  MM.  B.  de  Bury  and  Parigot ; 
on  the  other  we  have  the  bibliographical  and 
biographical  notes  of  Dumas's  fellow-provincial, 
Glinel ;  but  as  yet  the  book  which  shall  combine 
the  two  points  of  view  is  wanting. 

The  lover  of  Dumas  could  afford  to  laugh  at  the 
old-fashioned  utterances  of  a  cyclopaedia  in  the 
sixties ;  he  could  forget  a  third-rate  biography 
already  forgotten  by  the  public.  But  these  are  not 
the  only  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  reconsideration 
of  Dumas's  literary  merits.  It  is  only  a  few 
years  since  a  "Quarterly  Reviewer"  dismissed  the 
claims  of  our  author  as  a  novelist  in  a  few 
contemptuous  words.  True,  nobody  reads  the 
Ouarta^ly  Review,   but  even  straws  show  how   the 


278  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

wind  is  blowing  in  certain  quarters.  In  a  recent 
work^  M.  G.  Pellissier  complacently  remarks  that 
Dumas  "sacrificed  his  literary  conscience  to  the 
vulgar  taste  of  the  public,  and  the  necessities  of  the 
purse  prevailed  more  and  more  over  his  work.  .  .  . 
he  was  only  the  most  popular  of  amusers."  We  are 
not  surprised  that  this  book  was  "  crowned  by  the 
Academie."  G.  Brandes  has  repeated  the  same 
statement,  which  Parigot,  who  certainly  possesses 
some  knowledge  of  the  subject,  flatly  denies  : 

"  G.  Brandes  has  declared  that  Dumas  wrote 
firstly  en  roinantjqtie,  and  then  e7i  indiistriel — 
a  doubly  false  estimate.  *  Industriel'  Dumas  never 
ceased  to  be ;  '  romantic '  he  was  also,  if  by  the 
word  we  imply  revolutionary ;  but  dramatic  he 
remained  always,  con  ainoi^e,  and  by  right  of 
conquest." 

M.  Lanson,  in  his  voluminous  and  comprehensive 
history  of  French  literature,  acknowledges  Dumas 
to  be  a  skilled  stage  craftsman,  but  no  more  ;  he 
ignores   Dumas  the  novelist  altogether  ! 

These  criticisms  could  only  exercise  a  very  dis- 
tant influence  on  the  ordinary  English  reader, 
and  we  need  not  concern  ourselves  with  them 
further.  But  unhappily  they  seem  to  have  fur- 
nished the  sole  sources  of  reference  for  Professor 
Dowden   in   his   book   on   P"rench  literature.      This 

1  "  La  Mouvement  Littcraire  au  XIX*^  Si^cle." 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  279 

famous  scholar  confesses  in  his  preface  that  "  an 
adequate  history  of  a  great  Hterature  can  be  written 
only  by  collaboration.  In  this  small  volume  I  too 
have  had  my  collaborators  .  .  .  who  have  written 
each  a  part  of  my  book."  The  list  of  authorities 
which  the  professor  quotes  includes  the  three 
critics  we  have  mentioned,  and  contains  no  record 
of  any  direct  study  of  Dumas  himself.  Hence 
we  are  not  surprised  to  find  that  he  "  admits " 
our  author's  history  to  be  untrue,  his  characters 
superficial,  his  action  incredible.  Dumas's  work 
"  ceased  to  be  literature  and  became  mere  '  com- 
merce "...  his  money  was  '  recklessly  squan- 
dered.' .  .  ,  Half  genius,  half  charlatan,  his  genius 
decayed  and  his  charlatanry  grew  to  enormous 
proportions."  ^  Half-knowledge,  at  second  hand, 
gives  currency  to  those  half-truths  concerning  which 
Tennyson  held  strong  opinions.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  a  great  scholar  meaning  to  deal  fairly 
and  even  kindly  with  a  personality  should  be  misled 
into  a  flagrant  under-estimate  which  is  certain  to 
be  accepted  by  the  public  at  large,  who  have  a 
natural    confidence    in    the    professor's    ability    and 

^  We  regret  to  find  that  Dr  Gamett  (in  the  introduction  to  the 
latest  edition  of  the  "Black  Tulip"),  repeats  this  charge  in  almost 
the  same  words.  The  epithet  "charlatan,"  as  applied  to  a  writer, 
can  surely  only  be  taken  to  imply  that  he  wrote  without  conscience 
and  lowered  his  standard  of  literary  production  to  catch  the  public 
taste.  This  implied  charge  we  believe  an  impartial  reading  of 
Dumas's  works  at  any  period  will  disprove. 


280  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

honesty  of  purpose.  It  is  a  relief  to  turn  to 
Professor  Saintsbury's  "  Short  History  of  French 
Literature  "  and  find  our  author  dealt  with  more 
justly  and  sympathetically  by  one  who  has  a  fuller 
and  more  direct  knowledge  of  his  subject. 

The  attitude  of  -the  orthodox  French  critic  to- 
wards Dumas  is  even  more  severe  and  contemp- 
tuous, and  this  is  easily  explained.  A  man  of 
such  irregular  origin,  who  led  such  an  irregular 
life,  who  produced  his  works  in  such  an  irregular 
way,  was  bound  to  shock  the  critics  of  the  nation 
which  takes  pride  in  that  triumph  of  literary  con- 
vention and  snobbery,  the  Academic  Fran9aise. 
If  Dumas  had  been  content  to  live  a  quiet,  "  re- 
spectable "  life,  to  stick  to  one  class  of  writing, 
and  conform  to  tradition  in  that  branch  of  litera- 
ture ;  if  in  addition  he  had  refrained  from  dis- 
respectful witticisms  respecting  the  Institut,  and 
maintained  a  non-aggressive  attitude  towards  the 
world,  ?i  fauteuil  mx^t  have  been  his.  He  would 
have  gained  the  praise  of  the  conventional  and 
won,  if  not  Immortality,  at  least  an  Academic  fame. 
But  he  remained^Dumas — himself,  and  an  eccen- 
tric individuality  ;  and  so  we  find  Sainte-Beuve 
writing  of  him  :  "  All  that  he  has  written  is  fairly 
bright,  engrossing  and  amusing,  d  77ioiti4,  but  spoilt 
by  incompleteness,  negligence  and  vulgarity."  Still, 
elsewhere    the    same    writer    condescends    to    say : 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  281 

"  Quant  a  M.  Dumas,  tout  le  monJe  sait  sa  verve 
prodigieuse,  son  entrain  facile,  son  bonheur  de 
mise-en-scene,  son  dialogue  spirituel,  et  toujours 
en  mouvement,  ce  recit  leger  qui  court  sans  cesse 
et  qui  sait  cnlever  I'obstacle  et  I'espace  sans  jamais 
faiblir.  II  couvre  d'immense  toiles  sans  fatiguer 
jamais  ni  son  pinceau  ni  son  lecteur." 

Similarly,  Desire  Nisard  sneered  at  Dumas,  in  his 
attack  on  what  he  called  the  "easy"  literature.  It 
is  characteristic  of  the  French  critic,  this  inability 
to  see  that  for  certain  kinds  of  composition  rapidity 
of  thouo-ht  and  writinof  are  essential  to  success. 
In  short,  the  austere  devotion  to  "form"  and 
"  style  "  which  his  countrymen  profess  and  demand 
in  others  have  always  prevented  Dumas,  who  cared 
little  for  either  quality,  from  achieving  honour  in 
his  own  country — -except,  of  course,  from  the 
ignorant  public,   who  read  him  and  enjoyed  him. 

The  weight  of  official  authority  being  cast  against 
us,  it  is  obvious  that  our  own  attempt  to  estimate 
the  extent  and  value  of  Dumas's  genius  must  firstly 
take  more  or  less  the  form  of  a  defence,  in  which 
we  must  pass  in  review  the  charges  brought  against 
our  client,  and  produce  evidence  in  support. 

It  is  not  at  all  our  desire  to  deny  all  the  accusa- 
tions brought  against  Dumas  ;  we  hope,  however, 
that  w^e  shall  be  allowed  to  extenuate  some  things, 
and  be  pardoned  for  setting  down  naught  in  malice. 


282  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

We  have  admitted  the  many  faults  to  be  found 
in  Dumas  as  a  man  and  a  writer ;  we  have  re- 
corded, and  shall  continue  to  record,  hard  things 
said  of  him  by  expert  and  impartial  critics.  We 
do  this  not  only  for  honesty's  sake,  but  because 
we  believe  that  the  shoulders  of  his  talent  are 
broad  enough  to  bear  the  burden.  Mr  Henley  is 
by  no  means  a  mealy-mouthed  witness,  and  this 
is  how  he  faces  the  point : 

"He  is  one  of  the  heroes  of  modern  art.  Envy 
and  scandal  have  done  their  worst  now.  The 
libeller  has  said  his  say  ;  the  detectives  who  make 
a  speciality  of  literary  forgeries  have  proved  their 
cases  one  and  all  ;  the  judges  of  matter  have 
spoken,  and  so  have  the  critics  of  style  ;  the  dis- 
tinguished author  of  '  Nana '  has  taken  us  into 
his  confidence  on  the  subject ;  we  have  heard  from 
the  lamented  Granier  (de  Cassagnac)  and  others 
as  much  as  was  to  be  heard  on  the  question  of 
plagiarism  in  general  and  the  plagiarisms  of  Dumas 
in  particular ;  and  Mr  Percy  Fitzgerald  has  done 
what  he  is  pleased  to  designate  the  '  nightman's 
work '  of  analysing  '  Antony '  and  '  Kean,'  and 
of  collecting  everything  that  spite  has  said  about 
their  author's  life,  their  author's  habits,  their 
author's  manners  and  customs  and  character  :  of 
whose  vanity,  mendacity,  immorality,  and  a  score 
of    improper    qualities    besides,    enough    has    been 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  283 

written  to  furnish  a  good-sized  library.  And  the 
result  of  it  all  is  that  Dumas  is  recoofnised  for  a 
force  in  modern  art  and  for  one  of  the  greatest 
inventors  and  amusers  the  century  has  produced." 

Before  proceeding  to  the  counts  in  our  defence 
il  may  be  as  well  to  "put  into  court"  Dumas 's  own 
(ipinion  of  his  place  in  and  value  to  literature, 
hrom  the  '' vsXxv  fargettr''  something  pompous  and 
ridiculously  big  will  be  anticipated. 

"  Lamartine/'  he  writes,  "is  a  dreamer;  Hugo 
is  a  thinker  ;  as  for  myself,  I  am  a  populariser.  I 
take  possession  of  both :  I  give  substance  to  the 
dream  of  one,  I  throw  light  upon  the  thought  of 
the  other,  and  I  serve  up  to  the  public  this  ex- 
cellent dish,  which,  from  the  hand  of  the  first  would 
have-  lacked  nourishment,  being  too  light,  and  from 
the  second,  would  have  caused  indigestion,  being 
too  heavy ;  but  which  when  seasoned  and  Intro- 
duced by  me,  will  agree  with  almost  any  stomach, 
the  weakest  as  well  as  the  strongest." 

This  passage,  of  course,  refers  to  Dumas's 
position  in  the  ranks  of  the  Romantics,  but  it  may 
fairly  be  taken  as  representing  his  general  opinion 
of  his  own  worth.  The  reader  will  be  able  to 
judge  for  himself  as  we  proceed,  whether  our  author 
is  correct  in  this  self-estimation,  or  whether  he  falls 
below  it  or  rises  above  it. 

The  first  attack  which  was  made  upon  Dumas, 


284  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

and  the  first  therefore  which  we  have  to  meet,  is 
that  his  plays  were  "  horrible,"  and  immoral.  The 
chief  plays  to  be  pilloried  were  "  Henri  Trois," 
"Antony,"  "Don  Juan  de  Marana,"  "Caligula," 
and  "  La  Tour  de  Nesle."  Each  of  these  received 
its  due  share  of  ridicule  from  the  wits  of  the  rival 
school,  the  classicists.  The  first,  in  which  the 
intrigues  of  the  Valois  court  were  exposed,  was 
the  subject  of  an  epigram  which  made  fun  of  the 
"handkerchief"  incident,  (which  no  doubt  was 
borrowed  from  "Othello"): 

"  Messieurs  et  mesdames,  cette  piece  est  morale  ; 
Elle  prouve  aujourd'hui,  sans  faire  de  scandale. 
Que  chez  un  amant,  lorsqu'on  va  le  soir 
On  peut  oublier  tout  .  .  .  exceptd  son  mouchoir  ! "  ^ 

Similarly,  "Antony,"  the  society  drama  which 
set  the  fashion  in  "  foundlinof "  or  illeo^itimate 
heroes,  and  heroines  fair  and  frail,  inspired  the 
couplet — 

A  croire  ces  MM.  on  ne  voit  dans  nos  rues 

Que  les  enfants  trouves,  et  les  femmes  perdues."  ^ 

The  author's  classic  tragedy-drama  gave  rise  to 
the    slangy  word    " caligulate,"    meaning  to   bore; 

1  "  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  this  play  is  moral  :  it  proves  that  now- 
a-days,  when  meeting  one's  lover  by  night  one  may  without  scandal 
forget  one's  self,  .  .  .  but  not  one's  handkerchief!"  (Alluding  to  the 
fact  that  the  Duchesse  de  Guise's  handkerchief,  left  in  Ruggieri's 
rooms — where  she  has  met  St  Megrin,  her  lover, — is  found  by  the 
Due,  and,  by  arousing  his  jealousy,  leads  on  to  the  tragedy.) 

2  "If  we  can  believe  these  gentlemen  (Dumas  and  others  of  the 
Romantics)  one  meets  everywhere  only  women  who  are  "lost  "and 
children  who  are  "  found." 


ALEXANDRE  DUiNIAS  2S5 

and  Dumas  was  represented  as  being  haunted,  a 
la  Richard  III.,  by  the  ghosts  of  the  authors  from 
whose  "Don  Juans"  he  had  borrowed. 

"Henri  Trois "  is  now  by  general  consent 
beyond  the  reach  of  this  injurious  criticism.  Of 
"Antony"  Dumas  himself  in  his  '' Memoires " 
has  submitted  his  own  defence  to  the  judgment 
of  posterity.  He  certainly  makes  two  palpable  hits, 
firstly,  in  pointing  out  that  the  sinners  Antony 
and  Adele  do  not  prosper  by  their  sin,  for  they 
live  in  stress  and  anofuish  and  die  violent  and 
miserable  deaths;  and  secondly,  that  in  "exploit- 
ing "  adultery  as  a  subject  for  the  stage  he  treats 
it  in  a  far  more  worthy  fashion  than  did  Moliere, 
and  we  may  add,  than  the  Restoration  and  eight- 
eenth century  dramatists.  With  them  cuckoldry 
was  a  suitable  theme  for  comedy  ;  as  the  fashion- 
able and  amusing  pastime  of  le  monde  ou  fon 
senmde.  In  fact,  Dumas  faithfully  follows  Shake- 
speare in  "  Othello,"  and  "  Much  Ado  about 
Nothing." 

It  should  never  be  forgotten,  especially  by  Eng- 
lishmen, that  many  of  the  "horrors"  with  which 
Dumas's  early  plays  are  filled,  are  due  to  an  ardent 
but  indiscriminate  admiration  for  Shakespeare. 
Schiller  no  doubt  is  also  to  blame,  but  we  are 
obviously  more  concerned  with  the  Elizabethan 
playwright.      Do   those    who   condemn   the   murder 


286  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

of  Monaldeschi,  the  unholy  love  of  Queen  Mar- 
guerite In  "  La  Tour  de  Nesle,"  and  the  profanity 
of  "Don  Juan"  forget  not  only  the  "horrors"  of 
the  old  classic  tragedies,  which  Dumas  duly  studied, 
but  also  the  passages  In  "  Titus  Andronlcus,"  In 
"Macbeth,"  In  "Richard  III.,"  and  other  plays, 
which  no  stage-manager  would  dare  to  present  to 
the  public  to-day  ?  For  In  more  than  one  respect 
the  Romantic  movement  In  France,  In  the  early  part 
of  last  century,  corresponds  with  the  Elizabethan  era 
in  our  literature.  We  have  neither  the  desire  nor 
the  ability  to  present  an  elaborate  comparison  here  : 
it  is  sufficient  to  note  that  political  and  social  con- 
ditions favoured  a  reaction  towards  passion  and 
action  in  poetry,  drama,  and  romance,  and  this  has 
been  well  shown  by  Dumas  himself  In  his  preface 
to  "  Comte  Hermann,"  in  which  our  author  explains 
and  defends  the  outcomes  of  his  first  dramatic 
period.  He  had  taken  part,  as  Castelar  truly  says, 
*'  In  that  war  of  giants,  the  struggle  for  the  poetry 
of  nature  against  the  poetry  of  the  Academic, 
breaking  the  chains  of  all  literary  codes,  and  loudly 
proclaiming  liberty ;  ardent  and  daring  even  to  folly, 
like  a  hero  In  the  war  of  his  age  against  past 
ages." 

Why,  we  may  fairly  ask,  should  critics  take  eager 
note  of  the  excesses  of  the  young  dramatist  and 
ignore  his  second  and  last  periods,  when  experience 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  287 

had  taught  a  nature  instinctively  sane  the  folly  of 
that  Byronic  mood,  in  which  it  had  copied  perhaps 
not  the  best  qualities  of  Shakespeare  ?  Dumas's 
three  famous  comedies  are  all  "on  the  side  of 
the  angels";  and  "Conscience,"  "  Le  Marbrier," 
and  "  Comte  Hermann"  are  almost  sermons  in 
their  didactic  presentment  of  moral  truths. 

We  may  leave  this  point  .  in  our  case,  then, 
quoting  in  support  the  words  of  Brander  Matthews, 
the  American  critic : 

"  The  horrible  is  not  necessarily  immoral  .  .  . 
morality  is  an  affair,  not  of  subject  but  of  treat- 
ment, and  Dumas's  ...  is  not  insidious  or  vicious." 

No  sooner  had  the  orthodox  French  classicists 
found  Dumas's  plays  startlingly  successful  than  they 
set  themselves  to  discover  the  sources  of  his  plots, 
and  to  their  great  delight,  ascertained  that  he  had 
"  stolen  "  right  and  left,  from  English,  German  and 
other  writers.  In  reply  to  this  cry  of  "Thief! 
thief!"  the  author,  in  boldly  characteristic  fashion, 
stated  his  theory  of  defence  in  respect  of  plagiarism  : 

"It  is  men  who  invent,  and  not  the  individual. 
Each  in  his  turn  and  in  his  time  lays  hands  on 
something  accomplished  by  his  fore-runners,  makes 
use  of  it  in  a  new  way,  and  then  dies,  after  having 
added  some  small  share  to  the  sum  of  human 
knowledge.  This  he  bequeaths  to  his  successors, 
— a    new    star    in    the    Milky    Way.      As    for    the 


288  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

creative  completion  of  a  thing,  I  believe  that  to 
be  impossible." 

After  having  quoted  Shakespeare  and  Moliere  in 
support  of  his  practice,  Dumas  adds  : 

"The  man  of  genius  does  not  steal,  he  conquers; 
he  makes  the  province  which  he  annexes  a  part 
of  his  own  empire,  peoples  it  w^'th  his  own  subjects, 
and  imposes  his  own  laws  upon  it  He  extends 
his  golden  sceptre  over  it,  and  no  one  dares  to  say, 
as  they  look  upon  his  fair  kingdom,  '  That  piece 
of  ground  was  not  part  of  his  patrimony.'  " 

One  delightful  sample  of  the  knowledge  and 
spirit  with  which  Dumas  was  attacked  by  his  de- 
tractors is  recorded  in  the  "  Memoires."  "  Isabel 
de  Baviere  "  was,  as  we  know,  published  serially  in 
the  first  numbers  of  Revue  des  deux  Mondes,  which 
was  at  that  time  little  known  and  read  by  few. 
Bourgeois  and  Lockroy  joined  some  of  the  most 
striking  scenes  of  the  chronupLe  together  and  made 
them  into  a  play  called  "  Perrinet  Leclerc,"  which 
was  very  successful.  At  that  time  Dumas  had 
collaborated  with  Bourgeois  in  a  drama  "  Le  Fils 
Emi^rre,"  which  our  author  confesses  to  have  been 
an  "  execrable "  play.  One  of  the  leading  critics 
of  the  day  reviled  Dumas  as  if  he  were  the  sole 
author  of  the  latter  drama,  but  praised  the  other 
to  the  skies;  and  not  content  with  this,  the  journalist 
emphasised  his  own  fatuity  by  calling  attention  to 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  289 

the  rare  literary  and  historical  merits  of  the  story 
of  "  Pcrrinet  Leclerc,"  and  comparing  It,  greatly 
to  its  advantage,  with  "  Le  FIls  Emigre,"  for  which 
Dumas  was  only  partly  responsible !  But  the  best 
was  yet  to  come  ;  for  when  Dumas  re-issued  "  Isabel 
de  Baviere  "  In  book-form  the  critics  fell  foul  of  him 
for  stealing  from  MM.  Bourgeois  and  Lockroy ! 

It  Is  best  to  recognise  that  the  charge  of 
"plagiarism"  has  been  brought  against  almost 
every  dramatist  of  weight  since  plays  first  were 
written  ;  and  one  of  Dumas's  defenders  has  made 
a  full  and  Instructive  list  of  the  "thefts"  attributed 
to  Shakespeare.-  Moliere,  Sheridan,  and  even  the 
classical  writers  themselves.  It  is  In  our  view 
simply  a  question  whether  the  "borrower"  does 
or  does  not  add  to  the  value  of  the  material  he 
uses  ;  whether  he  Imprints  the  personality  of  his 
own  talent  upon  it.  Surely  Dumas  did  that.  "All 
his  plagiarisms,  and  they  were  not  a  few,"  says 
Brander  Matthews,  "are  the  veriest  trifles  when 
compared  with  his  Indisputable  and  extraordinary 
powers  ...  It  Irks  one  to  see  Dumas  pilloried 
as  a  mere  vulgar  approprlator  of  the  works  of 
other  men." 

The  cry  "plagiarist!"  was  not  raised  so  loudly 
or  generally  against  Dumas's  romances,  and  such 
charges  as  were  brought  we  have  already  dealt 
with.      It  was  now  that  the  cry  of  "  collaborators  1  " 

T 


290  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

was  heard  In  the  land ;  and  this  time  the  plays, 
with  the  exception  of  "  La  Tour  de  Nesle,"  of 
which  we  have  spoken,  were  let  off  lightly,  partly 
because  Dumas 's  earliest  plays  were  incontestibly 
his  own,  partly  because  he  did  not  dispute  the 
share  of  Maquet,  Bourgeois  and  the  rest,  in  the 
later  productions.  A  new  charge,  therefore,  was 
levelled  at  the  romancer,  whose  second  fame  in- 
furiated his  enemies.  He  was  represented  as  a 
rich,  prosperous  (!)  spider  who  lured  the  starving 
flies  into  his  web,  and  sucked  their  brains,  "swell- 
ing wisibly"  thus,  whilst  they  dwelt  in  darkness, 
enduring  an  obscure,  not  to  say  empty,  existence. 

Dumas's  reply  to  this  terrible  indictment  was  a 
challenge,  which  we  need  hardly  say  was  never 
accepted.  He  informed  these  unknown  but  talented 
authors  that  he  was  supplying  the  feuilleton  to  one 
Paris  journal  only,  and  that  therefore  the  rest  of 
the  press  was  open  to  them.  This  was  their 
opportunity :  now  they  could  vindicate  themselves, 
and  win  a  reputation  that  was  their  own  undis- 
putedly.  "  Write  a  '  Monte  Cristo '  or  a  '  Trois 
Mousquetaires,' "  he  pleaded ;  "  don't  wait  until 
I  am  dead — let  me  in  turn  have  the  pleasure  of 
reading  your  books  ! "     The  answer  was — silence. 

Dumas  was  always  the  man  of  genius,  whoever 
his  co-worker  may  have  been,  and  this  Is  asserted 
by  all  critics  of  any  standing.      "  That  he  was  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  201 

moving  spirit  still,  and  the  actual  author  of  what 
is  best  and  most  peculiar  in  the  works  which  go 
by  his  name,"  says  INIr  Saintsbury,  "  is  sufficiently 
proved  by  the  fact  that  none  of  his  assistants, 
whose  names  are  in  many  cases  known,  and  who  in 
not  a  few  instances  subsequently  attained  eminence 
on  their  own  account,  has  equalled  or  even  re- 
sembled his  peculiar  style."  "  Whereas  Dumas 
could  turn  out  books  that  live,  whoever  his  assistants 
were,"  adds  Mr  Lang,  "could  any  of  his  assistants 
write  books  that  live  without  Dumas  ?  One  mieht 
as  well  call  any  barrister  in  good  practice  a  thief 
and  an  impostor  because  he  has  juniors  to  devil 
for  him,  as  make  charges  of  this  kind  ao^ainst 
Dumas."  Theophile  Gautier  employs  the  same 
argument,  in  his  "  Histoire  de  I'Art  Dramatique." 
"He  has  been  reproached  wuth  having  had  colla- 
borators," writes  Castelar.  "  I  declare  that  all 
these  collaborators  lost  their  brilliancy  when  they 
separated  from  Dumas  ;  and  I  must  add,  that  all 
of  them  united  do  not  weigh  in  the  literary 
balances  of  Europe  half  as  much  as  Dumas  weighed 
alone." 

The  implied  accusation  that  Dumas  injured  and 
debauched  his  "assistants"  has  been  ruthlessly  spoilt 
By  M.  Edmond  About.  "The  master,"  he  declared, 
"  took  from  them  neither  their  money,  for  they 
are   rich,   nor  their    reputation,    for    they   are    cele- 


292  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

brated,  nor  their  merit,  for  they  have  it  still,  and  in 
plenty.  For  the  rest,  they  have  never  pitied  them- 
selves :  on  the  contrary,  the  proudest  of  them  have 
congratulated  themselves  on  having  been  to  such  a 
good  *school,  and  it  is  with  a  true  veneration  that  the 
greatest  of  them,  M.  Maquet,  speaks  of  his  old 
friend." 

The  great  romancer  frequently  protested  against 
the  word  "collaborators,"  and  he  was  right,  for  it 
implies  an  equality  in  quantity  and  quality  of  the 
work  done  which  was  not  justified.  "  Dumas's 
method,"  says  Mr  Lang,  "apparently  was  first  to 
talk  the  subject  over  with  his  aide-de-ca7np.  This  is 
an  excellent  practice,  as  ideas  are  knocked  out,  like 
sparks  (an  elderly  illustration),  by  the  contact  of 
minds.  Then  the  young  man  probably  made  re- 
searches, put  a  rough  sketch  on  paper,  and  supplied 
Dumas,  as  it  were,  with  his  'brief.'  Then  Dumas 
took  the  '  brief  and  wrote  the  novel.  He  gave  it 
life — he  gave  it  the  spark  {Tdtincelle),  and  the  story 
lived  and  moved." 

The  testimony  of  one  of  the  great  man's  best 
collaborators  is  valuable  evidence  on  this  point. 
Fiorentino,  in  his  "  Comedies  et  Comediens,"  writes  : 
"  How  many  believed  themselves  his  collaborators 
who  were  only  his  confidants!  ...  In  his  books,  but 
above  all,  in  his  plays,  his  collaborators  had  only 
the  smallest  share.      He  remodelled  the    scenarios, 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  293 

changed  the  characters,  added  or  cut  down  entire 
acts,  and  wrote  all  in  his  own  hand." 

Thackeray,  with  3.  i:a;;ia7'adcric  a.nd  candour,  both 
of  which  do  him  infinite  credit,  has  stoutly  defended 
this  system  in  one  of  his  "  Roundabout  Papers." 
The  support  it  gives  to  our  author  is  none  the  less 
valuable  for  having  been  written  in  a  half-jesting 
manner.  "  They  say,"  adds  the  English  novelist, 
after  a  eulogy  of  Dumas,  "  that  all  the  works  bearing 
his  name  are  not  written  by  him.  Well  ?  Does 
not  the  chief  cook  have  an/cs  under  him  ?  Did  not 
Rubens's  pupils  paint  on  his  canvasses?  Had  not 
Lawrence  assistants  for  his  backgrounds  ?  For 
myself,  being  also  dii^  metier,  I  confess  I  would  often 
like  to  have  a  competent,  respectable,  and  rapid 
clerk  for  the  business  part  of  my  novels.  .  .  . 
Sir  Christopher  is  the  architect  of  St  Paul's.  He 
has  not  laid  the  stones  or  carried  up  the  mortar. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  carpenter's  and  joiner's  work 
in  novels  which  surely  a  smart  professional  hand 
might  supply." 

We  may  venture  to  add  to  these  "testimonials  " 
from  writers  more  or  less  expert  or  learned  in  fiction, 
our  own  strong  belief  that  the  ideal  romance  of  fact 
or  history  in  particular  requires  two  workers  at  it — 
the  one  to  prepare  the  material,  and  the  other  to 
make  use  of  it.  The  case  of  Scott,  of  course,  will 
be  brought  forward  as  evidence  to  the  contrary ;  but 


294  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

surely  those  who  recognise  the  existence  of  such  a 
study  as  the  Art  of  Narrative  will  admit  that  Scott 
the  poetic  novelist  was  often  terribly  hampered  by 
Scott  the  antiquarian  and  archaeologist.  In  searching 
out  details,  in  verifying  references,  and  the  other 
work  of  preparation  the  imagination  is  naturally 
restrained,  the  fancy  is  deadened,  the  mental 
energies  turn  in  the  direction  of  the  trivial,  the  pre- 
cise, the  formal.  Charles  Reade,  a  master  of  narra- 
tive, too  frequently  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  Reade  the 
compiler  of  cuttings-books.  Dumas  himself  offers  a 
still  more  glaring  example  ;  for  when  preparing  "  La 
San  Felice  "  he  made  his  own  researches  into  the 
original  documents,  and,  seeing  the  historical  and 
picturesque  Importance  of  each,  he  wrote  a  story 
full  of  detail  and  long  parentheses,  which  only  his 
ereat  skill  saved  from  beinof  dull  and  drawn-out.  If 
the  facts  had  been  brought  to  him  already  ferreted 
out,  he  would  have  seen  and  seized  on  the  salient 
points,  and  have  written  a  romance  half  the  length, 
but  with  ten  times  the  brilliance  and  engrossing 
charm. 

It  frequently  proclaimed,  by  people  Imperfectly 
acquainted  with  Dumas's  novels,  that  they  are  Im- 
moral In  nature  and  tendency.  It  must  be  con- 
fessed that  this  Is  true — if  books  dealing  with  pitch 
must  of  necessity  be  themselves  defiled.  He 
attempted  to  teach  his  fellow-Frenchmen  the  history 


ALEXANDRE   DUMAS  295 

of  their  nation,  and  the  history  of  France,  social  and 
political,  is  full  of  improperly-behaved  personages. 
We  can  quite  understand  the  attitude  of  those  people 
who  wish  to  ignore  great  facts,  such  as  the  sensual 
as  well  as  the  ethereal  side  of  love  between  the 
sexes,  the  passionate  love  which  laughs  at  priests 
and  lawyers,  and  other  objectionable  traits  of  human 
nature.  We  advise  these  readers  to  avoid  Dumas, 
— and  all  the  other  great  writers.  "  If,"  says  Mr.  W. 
M.  Pollock,  "  his  writing  is  not  intended  for  boys 
and  maidens,  that  is  one  quality  which  he  has  in 
common  with  such  playwriters  as  for  instance, 
Shakespeare,  Racine,  and  Moliere,  and  such 
novelists  as  Goethe,  Fieldinor  and  Le  Saee.  His 
method  was  at  any  rate  *  an  honest  method '  ;  he 
did  not  palter,  as  the  modern  French  school  of 
playwriting  does,  with  vice  and  virtue,  keeping  one 
foot  in  the  domain  of  each,  and  casting  a  false 
glamour  of  splendour  around  corruption." 

But  hear  the  defendant  in  his  own  cause. 

"  I  had,  thank  God,  a  natural  sentiment  of 
delicacy  (as  a  boy),  and  thus,  out  of  my  six  hundred 
volumes^  there  are  not  four  which  the  most  scrupu- 
lous mother  may  not  give  to  her  daughter."  Dumas 
repeated  this  assertion  in  a  letter  to  Napoleon  III 
in  1864,  twelve  years  later,  adding,  "  I  am  as 
fatherly  as  Sir  Walter  Scott."     We  are  afraid  that 

1  See  note,  p.  225 


296  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Dumas  gave  mothers  credit  for  too  much  breadth 
and  independence  of  mind.  When  Stevenson,  in 
defence  of  our  romancer,  wrote  that  "  the  world  is 
wide  and  so  are  morals,"  he  did  not  hope  to  win 
Mrs.  Grundy's  approval  of  the  sentiment.  Mr.  Lang, 
dealing  more  directly  with  Dumas's  reply,adds  :  "  his 
enormous  popularity,  the  widest  in  the  world  of 
letters,  owes  absolutely  nothing  to  prurience  or 
curiosity.  The  air  which  he  breathes  is  a  healthy 
air,  is  the  open  air,  and  that  by  his  own  choice,  for 
he  had  every  temptation  to  seek  another  kind  of 
vogiie,  and  every  opportunity."  Hayward,  again, 
notices  the  difference  between  Dumas  and  so  many 
other  of  the  French  writers  with  whom  he  is  icrnor- 
antly  and  indiscriminately  classed.  "  His  best 
romances,"  says  the  author  of  "  Biographical 
Essays,"  "  rarely  trangress  propriety,  and  are 
entirely  free  from  that  hard,  cold,  sceptical,  materia- 
list, illusion-destroying  tone  which  is  so  repelling 
in  Balzac  and  many  others  of  the  most  popular 
French  novelists." 

Professor  Carpenter  lifts  the  subject  to  a  higher 
plane  of  thought. 

"  I  find  it  impossible,"  he  writes,  "to  admit  that 
Dumas's  ideals  were  low,  unfit  for  common  use. 
It  is  of  honour  that  he  tells  most  willingly — of 
man's  honour  and  the  constancy  of  men  to  men  • 
of  man's  striving  against  the  powders  of  the  world 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  297 

by  force  and  guile  ;  of  man's  love  of  woman  and 
the  curb  it  puts  on  cowardice  and  sloth  and  selfish- 
ness ;  of  man's  strength  and  weakness  ;  of  a  nation's 
slow  progress  onward  and  upward  toward  order  and 
justice.  Dumas  was  not  an  austere  moralist,  and 
his  life  was  prodigal ;  but  the  reader  will  find  on 
reflection  that  the  ethical  system  revealed  by  his 
books  is  one  which,  the  more  we  consider,  the  more 
we  shall  approve." 

We  may  add  that  we  made  one  or  two  experi- 
ments to  test  Dumas's  books  from  this  point  of 
view.  We  have  asked  repeatedly  at  shops  where 
French  novels  of  the  pornographic  type  have  been 
displayed  in  large  quantities,  and  have  failed  to 
obtain  a  copy  of  one  of  the  master's  novels.  We 
have  found  that  at  free  libraries  (and  at  the  com- 
mittee meetings  connected  with  such  institutions 
Mrs.  Grundy  is  always  present  in  spirit)  that 
Dumas's  works  are  admitted  fully  and  freely,  where 
Fielding,  Defoe,  Zola,  Boccaccio  and  others  are 
forbidden.  Lastly,  we  have  followed  Ruskin's 
advice  and  left  our  bookshelves  open  to  the  use  of 
the  Young  Person,  who  has  frequently  chosen 
one  of  our  author's  stories,  and  returned  it  in  due 
course  with  warm  and  inofenuous  acknowledgment 
of  the  pleasure  the  book  has  given  her. 

We  have  already  dealt  to  some  extent  with  the 
charge  that   Dumas,   in  writing  amusing  stories  of 


298  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

^,-  the  past,  has  distorted  or  Ignored  history.  In  sup- 
port of  this  indictment  the  critics  have  quoted  the 
passages  in  "  Vingt  Ans  Apres  "  relating  to  our 
Civil  War  and  the  execution  of  Charles — together 
with  the  "General  Monk"  episode,  In  "  Brage- 
lonne,"  and  the  plot  of  the  plays  "Catherine 
Howard  "  and  "  Kean."  As  he  has  expressed  it  in 
a  well-known  sentence,  Dumas  deliberately  violated 
history,  when  he  had  some  set  purpose  to  achieve 
which  rendered  it  necessary.  The  word  "  fiction  " 
implies  something,  even  in  historical  romance,  and 
the  writer  who  has  not  the  nerve  to  make  a  little 
history  for  his  own  purposes,  and  to  take  liberties 
with  great  personages,  may  contrive  very  accurate 
history,  but  we  are  afraid  he  will  write  a  very  dull 
romance.  On  the  other  hand,  when  Dumas  set 
himself  to  reproduce  a  certain  period  in  the  past 
centuries,  he  was  full  of  precise  detail  and  historic 
fact.  And  he  was  supreme  m  what,  after  all,  was 
the  essential :  he  caught  and  revivified  the  atmos- 
phere  of  those  by-gone  days  with  a  fidelity,  a  power 
of  conviction,  a  charm,  and  a  subtle  skill  which  no 
one  before  or  since  has  excelled. 

The  warfare  between  the  classicists  and  roman- 
tics in  French  literature  was  waged  fiercely  througli- 
out  Dumas's  prime.  Nisard,  of  whom  we  have 
spoken,  fastened  on  Dumas  the  stigma  of  "easy 
composition."  To  this  our  author  replied  with  his 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  299 

customary  good-humoured  banter,  behind  which 
lurked  a  good  deal  of  sense  and  power  : 

"  When  one  is  a  real  romancer,  you  know,  it  is 
as  easy  to  produce  a  romance  as  for  an  apple-tree 
to  produce  apples.      This  is  how  it  is  done. 

"  One  gets  one's  paper,  pen  and  ink ;  one  sits 
down,  as  comfortably  as  possible,  at  a  table  not  too 
high,  not  to  low  ;  one  reflects  for  half  an  hour,  one 
writes  a  little.  After  the  title,  comes  Chapter  I  ; 
then  one  writes  thirty-five  lines  to  a  page,  fifty 
letters  to  a  line — for  two  hundred  pages,  if  it  is  to 
be  a  romance  in  two  volumes — for  four  hundred 
pages  if  in  four  volumes — for  eight  hundred  pages, 
if  in  eight  volumes,  and  so  on.  And  after  ten  or 
twenty  or  forty  days,  supposing  that  one  writes 
twenty  pages  between  morning  and  evening,  which 
means  seven  hundred  lines,  or  38,500  letters  daily, 
the  romance  is  finished. 

"  That  is  the  way  I  work,  say  most  of  the 
critics  who  are  o^ood  enousrh  to  concern  themselves 
about  me  ;  and  these  gentlemen  only  forget  one 
thing. 

"It  is  this  :  that  before  preparing  the  ink,  the 
pens  and  the  paper  which  must  serve  for  the 
material  in  the  development  of  a  new  romance, 
before  drawing  my  arm-chair  up  to  the  table,  before 
writing  the  title  and  those  two  very  simple  words 
'Chapter   I.,'   I   have    sometimes    thought    for    six 


300  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

months,  a  year,  ten  years,  about  the  subject 
on  which  I  am  going  to  write.  I  owe  to  this 
way  of  working  the  clearness  of  my  intrigue,  the 
simpHcity  of  my  methods,  the  naturalness  of  my 
effects.  As  a  rule  I  do  not  begin  a  book  until  it 
is  finished." 

A  women  of  talent,  Madame  de  Girardin,  who 
knew  and  admired  Dumas,  put  the  case  for  her 
friend  even    more  forcibly  : 

"  This  rapidity  of  composition,  is  like  the  swift- 
ness of  a  railway  train  :  both  work  on  the  same 
principles,  from  the  same  causes — an  extreme 
facility  obtained  by  difficulties  '  overcome.  You 
cover  sixty  leagues  in  three  hours :  it  is  nothing — 
you  laugh  at  the  swiftness  of  your  travelling.  But 
to  what  do  you  owe  this  marvel  of  transportation  ? 
To  years  of  daunting  toil,  to  money  spent  like 
water,  all  along  your  way,  and  to  thousands  of  pairs 
of  arms  which  have  prepared  the  way  for  you,  day 
after  weary  day.  You  flash  past  so  swiftly  that 
one  can  scarcely  see  you  ;  but  to  gain  that  freedom 
of  speed  for  you,  how  men  have  slaved,  and  grown 
old,  bending  over  the  pick  and  shovel  !  What 
plans  have  been  made,  and  baulked  ;  what  cares, 
what  struggles  has  it  not  cost,  to  whirl  you  from 
this  spot  to  that,  so  smoothly  and  easefully,  and 
without  a  care  or  a  fear  !  " 

Blaze  de  Bury  further  explains  Dumas's  facility 


ALEXANDRE  DUINIAS  301 

of  working,  doing  justice  to  his  friend's  marvellous 
memory,  and  that  power  of  intuition  and  divination 
which  was  ahnost  second-sight. 

"  When  other  authors  write,"  he  says,  "  they  are 
stopped  every  other  minute — there  is  a  detail  to  dis- 
cover, or  a  reference  to  verify — a  lapse  of  memory, 
or  some  other  obstacle,  Dumas  was  never  stopped 
by  anything.  The  practice  of  writing  for  the  stage 
gave  him  great  fluency  in  composition  ;  add  to  these 
gifts  sparkling  wit,  and  inexhaustible  gaiety,  and  you 
will  understand  how,  with  such  resources,  a  man 
may  achieve  an  incredible  rapidity  of  production 
without  sacrificing  skill  in  construction  or  injuring 
the  quality  or  solidity  of  his  work." 

The  same  writer  adds  shrewdly  "  the  public  were 
very  ready  to  despise  as  *  shop-made  goods '  books 
written  in  such  quantity,  being  unwilling  to  believe 
that  there  are  certain  favoured  individualities  like 
those  blest  places  of  the  earth  where  the  grain 
shoots  into  green  and  ripens  in  a  few  weeks.  It  is 
no  sin  to  own  these  precious 'gifts :  it  is  only  wrong 
to  abuse  them." 

It  is  difficult  for  most  people  to  comprehend  that 
a  book  quickly  written  can  be  well  written  ;  and  the 
obvious  course  of  trying  the  work  on  its  merits  does 
not  seem  to  occur  to  them.  As  the  old  prejudices 
of  fifty  years  ago  are  still  held  to-day,  we  shall  do 
well  to  quote  Maxime  Du  Camp's  protest  on  behalf 


302  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

of  his  old  friend,  which  has  been  excellently  para- 
phrased and  elaborated  by  Mr  Lang. 

"  A  writer  so  fertile,  so  rapid,  so  masterly  in  the 
ease  with  which  he  worked,  could  not  escape  the 
reproaches  of  barren  envy.  Because  you  overflowed 
with  wit,  you  could  not  be  '  serious ' ;  because  you 
created  with  a  word,  you  were  said  to  scamp  your 
work  ;  because  you  were  never  dull,  never  pedantic, 
incapable  of  greed,  you  were  to  be  censured  as 
desultory,  inaccurate,  and  prodigal." 

Having  assured  themselves  that  Dumas  wrote 
rapidly  and  therefore  badly,  the  critics  proceeded 
quite  confidently  to  dower  that  author  with  another 
literary  vice. 

In  theology  there  is  a  sin  so  terrible  as  to  be 
unmentionable  ;  in  literature  there  is  a  sin  so  awful 
as  to  be  indefinable.  Therefore,  it  was  decided,  in 
order  to  dispose  once  and  for  all  of  the  French 
romancer's  claims  on  the  tender-hearted  public,  that 
he  should  be  declared  to  have  no  "style."  There 
is  only  one  thing  certain  about  this  mysterious 
quality — that  those  who  do  not  possess  it  cannot 
belong  to  the  elect. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  dare  to  attempt  to  indicate 
the  nature  and  habits  of  this  mythical  creation  :  we 
can  only  attempt  to  win  a  place  for  Dumas  among 
the  "  stylists  "  (for  we  must  "  conform  "  to  this  creed 
in    the   literary   religion)    by   putting    forward    the 


ALEXANDRE  DUISIAS  303 

testimony  of  such  as  arc  "within  the  pale."  If  a 
sufficient  number  of  these  haloed  great  can  be  per- 
suaded to  gather  round  our  sinner,  perhaps  it  may 
never  be  noticed  that  he  himself  wears  no  such 
symbol  of  intellectual  sanctity. 

Our  first  witness  (we  grieve  to  betray  his  identity, 
but  we  must  give  chapter  and  verse),  is  R.  L. 
Stevenson,  whose  manner  of  composition  was  the 
very  opposite  of  Dumas's.  He  is  allowed  to 
possess  "style,"  and  truly  he  laboured  hard  and 
nobly  to  win  it — the  quality  itself,  not  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  it. 

"  There  is  no  style  so  untranslatable  "  (as  Dumas's), 
he  wrote;  "light  as  a  whipped  trifle;  strong  as 
silk ;  wordy  like  a  village  tale  ;  pat  like  a  general's 
despatch  ;  with  every  fault,  yet  never  tedious,  with 
no  merit,  yet  inimitably  right." 

Next  we  have  Mr  Lang-,  In  addition  to  his 
fame  as  scholar  and  critic,  was  he  not  the  prize 
"stylist"  of  an  "Academy"  competition.^  That  is 
as  good  as  a  degree  at  a  University,  it  is  an 
unofficial  election  to  a  fauteuil  and  Immortality 
(with  a  capital  I).  Then  note  with  respect  this 
evidence : 

"  When  I  read  the  maunderings,  the  stilted  and 
staggering,  sentences,  the  hesitating  phrases,  the  far- 
sought  and  dear-bought  and  worthless  word-juggles  ; 
the  sham  scientific  verbiage,  the  native  pedantries 


304  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

of  many  modern  so-called  '  stylists,'  I  rejoice  that 
Dumas  was  not  one  of  these.  He  told  a  plain  tale, 
In  the  language  suited  to  a  plain  tale,  with  abun- 
dance of  wit  and  gaiety.  .  .  .  but  he  did  not  gnaw 
the  end  of  his  pen  in  search  of  some  word  that 
nobody  had  ever  used  in  this  or  that  connection 
before.  The  right  word  came  to  him,  the  simple 
straightforward  phrase.  Epithet-himting  may  be  a 
pretty  sport,  and  the  bag  of  the  epithet-hunter  may 
contain  some  agreeable  epigrams  and  rare  specimens 
of  st)le  ;  but  a  plain  tale  of  adventure,  of  love  and 
war,  needs  none  of  this  industry,  and  is  even 
spoiled  by  inopportune  diligence." 

This  misguided  critic  involves  himself  more 
deeply  still.  He  praises  Dumas's  dialogue  for  its 
unsurpassed  excellence,  and  dares  to  claim  for  some 
of  Dumas's  phrases  that  they  are  unconsciously 
Homeric  ! 

"In  your  works  we  hear  the  Homeric  Muse 
again,  rejoicing  In  the  clash  of  steel  ;  and  even,  at 
times,  your  very  phrases  are  unconsciously  Homeric. 
Look  at  these  men  of  murder,  on  the  Eve  of  St 
Bartholomew,  who  flee  in  terror  from  the  Queen's 
chamber,  and  'find  the  door  too  narrow  for  their 
flight':  the  very  words  were  anticipated  in  a  line 
of  the  '  Odyssey '  concerning  the  massacre  of  the 
Wooers.  And  the  picture  of  Catherine  dc  Medicis, 
prowling   Mike   a   wolf  among   the   bodies   and  the 


ALEXANDllE  DLJJNIAS  305 

blood,'  in  a  passage  of  the  Louvre — the  picture  is 
taken  unwittingly  from  the  'Iliad.'" 

We  are  not,  we  confess,  aware  whether  or  no 
Balzac  is  admitted  to  be  a  "  stylist,"  but  at  least  two 
critics  prefer  Dumas's  language  to  that  of  his  great 
rival ;  for  Brander  Matthews  favourably  compares  the 
running  sentences  of  the  romancer  with  the  tortured 
"style"  of  the  realist;  and  Nisard,  in  spite  of 
his  prejudices,  acknowledges  that  Dumas  "tells  his 
story  with  more  vivacity  (than  Balzac),  in  dialogue 
more  witty  and  natural,  and  clothed  in  better  words." 
Parieot  admits  that  Dumas  takes  no  heed  of  the 
literary  merit  of  his  writing,  but  claims  that  never- 
theless he  shows  taste  and  care,  and  a  choice  of 
clear  and  sane  language.  Edmond  About  pro- 
phesied that  Dumas  would  become  a  classic, 
"  thanks  to  the  limpidity  of  his  style."  Dumas  a 
classic !  Yet  the  history  of  literature  tells  us  that 
more  unlikely  things  have  happened.  We  shall  be 
laughed  at  when  we  point  out  that  passages  from 
the  romancer's  books  are  constantly  being  chosen 
and  edited  for  use  in  schools  and  colleges,  and  yet 
the  fact  is  not  so  puerile  as  its  connection  would 
seem  to  imply.  Those  who  are  responsible  for 
such  productions  are  men  of  culture,  with  a  pro- 
fessional knowledge  of  French  literature  and  with 
reputations  to  maintain.  If  they  find  in  Dumas's 
books    qualities    which    make    them    fit    to    be    put 


306  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

before  scholars  as  models  of  French  composition, 
we  may  rest  assured  that  there  Is  some  suspicion  of 
"  style  "  about  our  author's  writing,  after  all. 

We  may  return  to  the  point  touched  upon  by 
Mr  Lang,  that  Dumas's  style — we  use  the  word  in 
its  uncanonlcal  sense — was  fitted  to  its  author's 
purpose.  "  Of  art,  of  careful  choice,  of  laborious 
adaptation  of  words  and  phrases  and  paragraphs 
there  is  none,"  says  Professor  Saintsbury.  "  It  Is 
even  capable  of  being  argued  whether,  consistently 
with  his  peculiar  plan  and  object,  there  could,  or 
ought  to  be,  any.  A  novel  of  Incident,  if  It  be 
good,  must  be  read  as  rapidly  the  seventh  time  as 
it  Is  the  first."  Quite  so  ;  the  romancer's  desire  was 
to  tell  you  a  story  In  a  way  that  would  enthral  you 
from  beginning  to  end  ;  if  you  stopped  to  admire 
the  exquislteness  of  a  phrase,  or  to  ponder  over  the 
possibilities  which  a  thought  suggested,  you  would 
lose  the  thread  of  the  story,  the  charm  that  its 
narrator  had  woven  about  you  would  be  broken, 
and  his  aim  would  be  defeated. 

Even  when  Dumas  seems  wordy  there  Is,  as 
another  great  story-teller  saw  clearly,  an  artistic 
reason  for  It.  Stevenson,  writing  to  one  of  his 
friends,  touched  on  this  point,  and  declared  "  if 
there  Is  anywhere  a  thing  said  In  two  sentences 
that  could  have  been  as  clearly  and  as  engagingly 
and  as  forcibly  said  in  on(%  then  It's  amateur  work." 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  307 

But  he  added:  "Then  you  will  bring  me  up  with 
old  Dumas.  Nay,  the  object  of  a  story  is  to  be 
long,  to  fill  up  hours ;  the  story-teller's  art  of 
writing  is  to  water  out  by  continual  invention, 
historical  and  technical,  and  yet  not  seem  to  water  ; 
seem,  on  the  other  hand,  to  practise  that  same  wit 
of  conspicuous  and  declaratory  condensation  which 
is  the  proper  art  of  writing." 

One  last  word  on  this  point.  We  have  taken  a 
solemn  vow  not  to  blaspheme  by  attempting  to 
define  the  occult  word,  but  if  style  can  be  said  to 
imply  distinction  and  individuality  in  a  writer,  and 
that  in  a  praiseworthy  sense,  then  we  claim  it  for 
Dumas.  Once  the  reader  is  acquainted  with  his 
style  (in  the  French)  he  can  hardly  mistake  it. 
And  if  it  is  justified  in  narrative  by  its  artistic 
subservience  to  the  story,  it  justifies  itself  in  the 
lighter  writings  of  its  author.  Unfortunately  these 
are  practically  unknown  to  the  general  British 
reading  public.  "In  the  slightest  and  loosest  work 
of  his  vainest  mood  or  his  idlest  moment  Dumas  is 
at  least  unaffected  and  unpretentious,"  says  Swin- 
burne ;  and  we  may  add  that  in  the  best  of  his 
"occasional  writings"  he  exhibits  qualities  of  wit, 
humour,  and  neatness  of  expression  in  a  high 
degree. 

The  last  count  in  this  lengthy  indictment  is 
perhaps   the    most    serious.       It    is    asserted    that 


308  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Dumas,    at   least   in   the    latter   part    of    his    Hfe, 
"wrote  for  money." 

This  is  a  loose  phrase,  and  we  must  dis- 
tinguish. Most  authors  write  for  money.  '*  Inti- 
mate "  biographies  show  that  in  private  life  all 
writers  not  born  to  affluence  have  valued  the 
work  of  their  brains  in  filthy  lucre  ;  that  they 
have  demanded — and  quite  rightly — the  market 
price  for  their  work.  The  questions  which 
really  touch  the  quick  of  the  subject  are :  Did 
Dumas  pander  to  the  public  for  gain }  Did  he 
consciously  lower  and  debase  his  abilities  for 
money?  Was  money  the  prime  object  of  his 
labours?  We  deny  all  these  possible  charges. 
Granted,  that  Dumas,  like  many  another  artist, 
turned  out  bad  work  at  times ;  that  he  spoke 
of  his  books  on  occasion  in  commercial  terms ; 
that  he  was  generally  pressed  for  money,  and 
obliged  to  turn  to  his  desk  to  satisfy  a  dun,  or 
fulfil  a  contract,  and  that  in  the  last  few  years  he 
resorted  to  shifts  unbecoming  in  a  man  of  genius. 
He  never  parted  company  with  his  literary  con- 
science. A  score  of  examples  of  this  could  be 
given  :  how  he  destroyed  bad  work  ;  how  he  delayed 
or  refused  to  commence  work  for  which  he  had  not 
found  in  his  brain  the  plan  of  adequate  treatment ; 
and  how  he  deplored  the  bad  stuff  which  he  had 
been  coerced  or  persuaded  into  doing.      He  never 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  309 

wrote  unworthily,  or  below  his  own  level.  The 
greed  of  money,  for  money's  sake,  for  anything  that 
money  could  give  him,  was  foreign  to  the  man's 
generous,  insoitciant  nature.  Before  and  after  the 
writing  of  a  story,  the  man  of  business  was  keenly 
alive  in  Dumas,  as  in  all  shrewd  authors ;  once 
plunged  into  the  story  the  man  became  the  artist ; 
he  had  no  thought  but  for  the  story  and  the  best 
way  of  telling  it.  If  he  had  been  miserly,  if  his 
work  had  not  been  the  great  enjoyment  of  his  life, 
the  whole  story  of  Dumas's  career  would  have  left 
him  open  to  base  suspicion ;  but  the  more  one 
learns  of  the  man's  nature  and  life-story,  the  more 
clearly  one  sees  in  him  the  artist,  not  the  artisan. 

Counterclaim. 

In  the  hope  that  we  have  extenuated  or  disproved 
the  charges  against  Dumas,  and  shown  him  guilty 
of  literary  faults  rather  than  vices,  we  shall  modify 
our  metaphor  and  treat  the  case  more  lightl)-. 
Believing  it  only  just  to  look  upon  the  matter  rather 
as  a  question  for  the  civil  courts  of  literature,  we 
close  our  defence  and  proceed  to  put  in  a  counter- 
claim of  as  modest  a  nature  as  our  convictions 
respecting  the  true  worth  of  our  client's  cause  will 
allow. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  whereas  we  in  England  look 


310  LIFE  AN13  AVlllTlNGS  OF 

upon  Dumas  simply  as  a  writer  of  fiction,  and  are 
ignorant  of  his  plays,  the  French  regard  him  almost 
exclusively  as  a  dramatist.  "  This,"  says  Blaze  de 
Bury  shrewdly,  "  is  because  the  imperturbable 
entomological  public  loves  classification,  and  will 
only  judge  a  man  from  one  point  of  view." 

Unable  as  we  are  to  prove  Dumas's  merits  as  a 
playwright  by  instance  and  reminder,  to  readers 
unacquainted  with  his  stage  triumphs,  we  must 
again  have  recourse  to  "expert  opinion,"  and  show 
indirectly,  and  as  concisely  as  possible,  the  high 
position  which  Dumas  occupies  in  the  ranks  of  the 
world's  dramatists. 

He  possessed  the  "dramatic  instinct"  to  the 
full.  "He  is  not  a  dramatic  author;  he  is  the 
drama  incarnate  ! "  cried  Fiorentino.  Dumas  has 
told  us,  with  a  pride  which  is  justifiable,  that 
all  he  needed  was  the  bare  apparatus  of  a  stage, 
"two  actors,  and  a  passion."  In  this  he  is  held  to 
have  been  superior — as  a  craftsman — to  his  friend 
and  rival,  Victor  Hugo.  Whatever  Heine  was  as  a 
dramatic  critic,  he  was  a  man  of  piercing  insight 
where  his  prejudices  did  not  obscure  his  view,  and 
further,  a  keen  student  of  the  literature  of  his  time ; 
and  this  is  what  he  says  of  the  two  authors,  in  his 
letters  on  the  French  staee : 

'*  The  best  tragic  poets  in  France  are  still 
Alexandre    Dumas   and  Victor    Hugo.       I    put   the 


ALEXANDRE  DUiAIAS  311 

latter  in  the  second  place  because  his  efficiency  as 
regards  the  theatre  is  not  so  great  or  productive 
of  result.  .  .  .  Dumas  is  not  so  great  a  poet 
as  Hugo — far  from  it — but  he  has  qualities  which 
ofo  much  further,  as  resfards  the  theatre.  He  has  at 
command  that  prompt,  straightforward  expression  of 
passion  which  the  French  call  verve,  and  therein  he 
is  more  French  than  Hugo  ;  he  sympathises  with 
all  vices  and  virtues,  daily  needs  and  restless  fancies 
of  his  fellow-countrymen  ;  he  is  by  turns  enthusiastic, 
comedian-like,  noble,  frivolous,  swaggering,  a  real 
son  of  France,  that  Gascony  of  Europe.  He 
speaks  to  heart  with  heart,  and  is  understood  and 
applauded. 

"No  one  has  such  a  talent  for  the  dramatic  as 
Dumas.  The  theatre  is  his  true  callino: — he  is  a 
born  stage  poet,  and  all  rnaterials  for  the  drama 
belong  to  him  wherever  he  finds  them,  in  nature 
or  in  Schiller,  Shakespeare  or  Calderon.  A  very 
unjust  criticism  on  art  which  appeared  long  ago 
under  most  deplorable  circumstances  in  the  Journal 
des  Debats  greatly  injured  our  poor  poet  among  the 
ignorant  multitude.  In  it  was  shown  that  many 
scenes  in  his  plays  had  the  most  striking  resemblance 
to  others  in  former  dramas.  But  there  is  nothing 
so  foolish  as  this  reproach  of  plagiarism  ;  the  poet 
may  grasp  and  grab  boldly  wherever  he  finds 
material   for   his   works  ;    he  may  even  appropriate 


312  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

whole  columns,  carved  capitals  and  all,  so  that  the 
temple  which  they  support  be  magnificent.  Goethe 
understood  this  very  well,  as  did  Shakespeare  long 
before  him." 

Professor  Brander  Matthews  in  his  consideration 
of  our  author  as  playwright  cannot  avoid  the 
coupling  of  the  two  great  names.  "  There  is  but 
one  dramatist  of  Dumas's  generation  who  will  stand 
comparison  with  him,"  he  says;  "and  even  Victor 
Hugo,  master  as  he  is  of  many  things,  is  less  a 
master  of  the  theatre  than  Dumas." 

Dumas  yf/i-  wrote  of  his  father  as  one  "who  was 
and  is  the  master  of  the  modern  stage,  whose 
prodigious  imagination  touched  the  four  cardinal 
points  of  our  art, — tragedy,  historic  drama,  the 
dramas  of  manners,  and  the  comedy  of  anecdote, — 
whose  only  fault  was  to  lack  solemnity,  and  to  have 
genius  without  pride,  and  fecundity  without  effort, 
as  he  had  youth  and  health  ;  and  who  (to  conclude), 
Shakespeare  being  taken  as  the  culminating  point, 
by  invention,  power  and  variety,  approached  among 
us  most  closely  to  Shakespeare."  And  Professor 
Matthews  adds,  of  the  son's  opinion  :  *'  Due  allow- 
ance made,  he  is  not  so  very  far  out." 

'*  Dumas  broke  ground,"  writes  Mr  Henley,  "with 
the  ease,  the  assurance,  the  insight  into  essentials, 
and  a  technical  accomplishment  of  a  master,  and  he 
retained  these  qualities  to  the  last.  ...    He  was  the 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  313 

soundest  innuencc  in  drama  of  the  century."  Sardou 
has  similarly  declared  Dumas  to  have  been  "  le 
premier  Jionivie  de  tht'dtre  du  siecle passd."  Castelar 
has  this  passage  on  Dumas  as  a  revolutionary 
leader,  a  pioneer  of  stage  liberty  : 

"  A  lover  of  the  drama,  he  proved  himself  able  to 
reanimate  the  theatre.  To  accomplish  this  purpose 
he  chose  pieces  of  lively  interest,  characters  of  a 
strongly  marked  individuality,  descriptions  of  un- 
bridled passions,  which,  though  without  the  artificial 
rules  of  poetic  conventionality,  followed  the  inspira- 
tions of  fancy  in  its  native  purity,  and  were  powerful 
enough  to  awaken  artistic  attention." 

Did  Dumas  in  his  ardour  go  too  far?  Goethe 
uttered  a  warning  note  when,  two  years  before  his 
death,  he  addressed  the  young  poet  after  the  success 
of  "  Christine  "  : 

"Friend,"  he  wrote,  "don't  go  further  than  your 
masters,  Delavigne  and  Beranger,  Schiller  and 
Scott.  Beware  of  forcing  your  activity  ;  production 
without  respite  ends  in  bankruptcy  of  one's  talent. 
Whatever  frees  the  fancy,  without  retaining  it 
within  the  control  of  reason,  is  pernicious.  Art 
must  be  at  the  command  of  the  imagination,  if  it  is 
to  have  an  outcome  in  poetry.  Nothing  is  more 
terrible  than  imagination  deprived  of  taste." 

Whether  or  no  Goethe's  advice  was  necessar)-, 
and  applicable,  we  leave  to  be  discussed  by  others. 


314  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

and  elsewhere ;  but  we  are  inclined  to  suspect,  by 
the  choice  of  masters  here  prescribed  for  Dumas, 
that  the  sage  neither  comprehended  the  nature  of 
our  author's  talent,  nor  foresaw  its  tendencies. 

Certainly  the  drama  of  passion  and  Intrigue,  of 
which  Dumas's  own  plays  are  the  first  great  examples, 
developed  extremes  for  which  the  originator  cannot 
fairly  be  blamed.  George  Sand  saw  this,  when,  in 
dedicating  her  play  on  Moliere  to  her  friend  and 
confrere,  she  pleaded  for  psychology  as  well  as 
movement  and  action,  as  an  element  in  the  drama. 
She  protested  against  the  Idea  that  her  play.  Illus- 
trating this  theory,  was  in  any  way  a  challenge 
levelled  against  the  school  of  which  Dumas  was  the 
chief. 

"  I  love  your  works  too  well,"  she  continued,  "  I 
read  them,  I  listen  to  them  with  too  much  emotion 
and  appreciation  to  wish  to  cast  the  slightest  slur  on 
your  triumphs.  .  .  .  You  have  lifted  dramatic  action 
to  the  highest  power,  without  any  desire  to  sacrifice 
psychological  interest  to  it,  but  your  Imitators  have 
abandoned  this  second  essential,  for  one  must  be  of 
strong  calibre  to  keep  both  ideals  equally  to  the 
fore." 

In  his  expositions  of  the  hidden  motives  of  his 
plays,  in  his  skilful  analysis  of  his  son's  great  play 
("  La  Dame  aux  Camelias "),  and  in  various 
chapters  of  his  "  Souvenirs  Dramatiques,"   Dunuis 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  315 

showed  that  he  was  something:  more  than  the  teller 
of  a  stage  story,  something  better  than  a  clever 
manipulator  of  incident  and  intrigue,  plot  and 
passion.  "A  man?"  cried  Michelet,  "no,  an 
element,  like  an  inextinguishable  volcano  or  a 
greiit  American  river.  ...  He  remains  the  most 
powerful  craftsman,  the  most  living  dramatist  since 
Shakespeare." 

Of  Dumas's  influence  on  the  modern  French 
drama,  M.  Parigot  has  written  fully  and  learnedly 
in  his  "  Drame  dAlexandre  Dumas,"  showing  the 
effect  produced  in  varying  ways  and  degrees  by 
the  pla)'wright  on  the  later  nineteenth  century, — on 
his  son,  on  Augier,  Sandeau,  Daudet,  Lemaitre, 
Meilhac  and  Halevy,  Sardou,  and  others.  He 
"  exercised  a  continuous  and  profound  influence  on 
the  drama  of  the  nineteenth  century,"  adds  the 
writer,  and  we  need  only  supplement  his  verdict  by 
calling  attention  to  the  case  of  the  "  latest  discovery  " 
in  French  dramatic  literature,  Edmond  Rostand, 
whose  success  with  "  Cyrano  de  Bergerac  "  so  closely 
recalls  the  triumphs  of  the  author  of  "  Les  Trois 
Mousquetaires  "  and  "  Henri  Trois." 

On  our  English  drama  the  plays  of  Dumas  have 
had  only  a  subtly  indirect  effect.  As  the  founder 
of  the  "  society  drama  "  he  has  much  to  answer  for  ; 
but  for  our  sterile  "  West-End  "  fashion  plays,  and 
the  modern  French  school  which  has  been  evolved 


316  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

from  "Antony"  and  his  successors,  the  old  play- 
wright cannot  fairly  be  held  responsible.  He  was 
the  first  to  vivify  the  melodrama  in  its  higher  form, 
and  the  history-drama,  at  present  so  popular  with 
us,  owes  its  true  birth  to  the  author  of  "  La  Tour 
de  Nesle."  His  three  comedies  have  each  been 
"  adapted  "  and  produced  in  London  within  recent 
years,  but  without  much  success  ;  and  we  may 
predict,  without  going  into  the  grounds  for  our 
belief,  that  his  books  may  be  dramatised  from  time 
to  time,  but  that  his  plays  themselves  will  never 
take  root  with  us. 

It  is  with  a  very  judicious  fear  of  our  "entomo- 
logical public  "  that  we  claim  for  Dumas  a  supreme 
place  as  a  master  of  the  art  of  narrative.  True, 
Swinburne  goes  further,  and  acclaims  him  "  the 
king  of  story-tellers ;  "  and  a  poet-critic  in  many 
respects  akin  in  taste  to  the  author  of  "  Atalanta 
in  Calydon  "  held  a  similar  opinion.  Oliver  Madox 
Brown  once  wrote  to  his  father  in  great  perturbation  : 

"  (D.  G.)  Rossetti  .  .  .  nas  had  several  long  dis- 
cussions with  me  on  the  subject  of  novel-writing. 
.  .  .  Thackeray  he  will  hardly  hear  the  name  of; 
George  Eliot  is  vulgarity  personified ;  Balzac  is 
melodramatic  in  plot,  conceited,  wishy-washy,  and 
dull.  Dumas  is  the  one  great  and  supreme  man, 
the  sole  descendant  of  Shakespeare." 

In  reply  to  a  letter  from  ourselves,   Mr  W.   M. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  317 

Rossetti  has  kindly  confirmed  this  record  with  his 
own  testimony. 

"  It  is  perfectly  true,"  he  writes,  "  that  my  brother 
took  the  greatest  delight  in  reading  Dumas,  and  I 
think  it  may  be  said  that,  if  he  had  been  asked 
'  whom  do  you  regard  as  the  greatest  novelist  that 
ever  existed — in  those  qualities  which  are  most 
essential  for  novel-writing  ?  '  he  would  have  replied 
'  Dumas.'  Of  course  he  would  at  the  same  time 
have  been  conscious  that  Walter  Scott,  as  a  pre- 
cursor of  Dumas,  had  to  some  extent  served  him 
as  a  pattern."  ^ 

Henley  strikes  the  same  note  of  praise.  "  Dumas 
is  assuredly  one  of  the  greatest  masters  of  the  art 
of  narrative  in  all  literature,"  he  says,  and  amplifies 
his  assertion  thus :  "  He  was  an  artist  at  once 
original  and  exemplary,  with  an  incomparable  in- 
stinct of  selection,  a  constructive  faculty  not  equalled 
among  the  men  of  this  century,  an  understanding 
of  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong  in  art,  and  a 
mastery  of  his  materials  which  in  their  way  are  not 
to  be  paralleled  in  the  work  of  Sir  Walter  himself," 

The  frequent  references  to  Scott  force  us  without 

'  Another  passage  in  this  letter  is  interesting,  in  connection  with 
much  that  has  been  written  above.  "  In  my  very  early  years — say 
1846-7,"  adds  Mr  Rossetti,  "  my  brother  and  I  knew  more  of  Dumas 
as  a  dramatist  than  novelist.  'Don  Juan  de  Marana'  was  our 
favourite;  next  might  come  'Antony'  and  'Caligula.'  'Kean'  we 
used  to  laugh  over,  for  its  amusing  travestie  of  English  manners  and 
customs." 


318  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

further  delay  to  face  a  comparison  as  inevitable  In 
the  case  of  Dumas  the  novelist,  as  was  that  with 
Hugo  In  the  case  of  Dumas  the  playwright.  The 
two  names — in  the  field  of  romance — are  linked 
together  inseparably  by  talents,  time,  and  circum- 
stance ;  but  until  recent  years  the  ordinary  English 
critic  would  not  admit  of  any  degree  of  equality 
between  the  two.  It  is  no  doubt  an  act  of  daring 
on  our  part  to  presume  to  discuss  the  relative 
merits  of  the  two  men,  as  if  the  Frenchman  could 
seriously  challenge  the  Scotsman's  supremacy.  Yet 
we  venture  to  submit  that,  generally  speaking,  the 
two  writers,  as  masters  of  the  historical  romance, 
stand  on  a  level,  and  that  Sir  Walter,  superior  as  he 
Is  In  some  respects,  has  been  excelled  by  his  pupil 
in  the  art  of  story-telling. 

In  claiming  this  point  for  our  client  we  own 
that  we  should  have  none  of  that  client's  sympathy, 
Scott,  as  we  have  said,  was  Dumas's  teacher,  and 
the  junior  never  wearied  of  expressing  his  praise, 
his  eratitude,  and  reverence  for  the  older  writer. 
"Scott,"  he  wrote  in  his  "  Memoires,"  "had  a  great 
influence  on  me  in  the  early  days  of  my  literary 
life."  In  another  book  he  analysed  the  causes  of 
his  master's  success,  thus  :  "  To  the  natural  qualities 
of  his  predecessors  Scott  added  knowledge  specially 
acquired  ;  to  his  study  of  the  hearts  of  men,  he 
added    that    of    the     science    of    popular    history ; 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  319 

dowered  with  archaeological  zeal,  a  quick  discern- 
ing eye,  and  the  power  to  reanimate,  his  genius 
conjured  into  a  new  existence  a  past  epoch,  with 
all  its  manners,  interests  and  emotions." 

Dumas  saw  one  of  Scott's  weak  points,  but  dealt 
with  it  very  pleasantly  and  tenderly. 

"Scott,"  (he  says  in  his  "  HIstoire  de  mes 
Betes"),  ''had  his  own  way  of  creating  interest 
in  his  characters,  which,  though  with  a  few  ex- 
ceptions always  the  same,  and  though  at  first  a 
little  disconcerting,  succeeded  none  the  less.  This 
method  was,  to  be  wearisome,  mortally  wearisome, 
often  for  half  a  volume,  sometimes  for  a  whole 
volume.  But  during  this  volume  he  placed  his 
characters,  and  gave  such  a  minute  description  of 
their  appearance,  of  their  mental  status,  of  the 
traits  of  their  individuality ;  one  knew  so  well 
how  they  walked,  dressed,  and  spoke,  that  when 
at  the  beofinninor  of  the  second  volume  one  of  these 
characters  found  himself  in  some  danger,  you  ex- 
claimed '  Ah,  here's  this  poor  limping  chap  in 
Lincoln  ofreen — how  on  earth  is  he  ""oino-  to  eet 
out  of  this  ?  '  " 

And  then  our  author  goes  on  to  set  his  own 
method  of  narrative  by  the  side  of  Scott's,  of 
course  to  the  advantage  of  the  latter,  declaring 
that  Sir  Walter  gives  you  the  best  dishes  last 
and   the   worst    ones    first,   so    that    one    rises   from 


320  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

the  table  delighted  ;  but  that  he  himself  reverses 
the  process,  leaving  the  guests  to  go  out  on  the 
house-tops  and  revile  the  stupid  chefs  bill  of  fare. 

But  it  was  another  thing  entirely,  when  Dumas 
thought  of  Scott  as  a  possible  pattern  for  himself, 
in  the  self-imposed  task  of  writing  the  history  of 
France  in  romance.  In  two  important  respects 
the  genius  of  the  younger  man  broke  away  from 
his  teacher's  style. 

"  The  qualities  of  Walter  Scott  are  not  dramatic 
qualities,"  he  declared.  "Admirable  in  the  por- 
trayal t)f  manners,  costumes  and  characters,  he  was 
completely  unable  to  paint  passions.  The  only 
'  romance  of  passion  '  amongst  his  novels  is  '  Kenil- 
worth.'  .  .  .  My  analysis  of  Scott's  books  taught 
me  to  see  the  romance  from  another  point  of  view 
to  that  familiar  to  us  in  those  days.  The  same 
fidelity  to  manners,  costumes,  and  characters,  with 
a  brighter,  more  natural  dialogue,  and  with  passions 
that  were  more  life-like — these  appeared  to  me 
to  be  what  we  needed." 

In  course  of  time  Dumas  applied  these  beliefs 
of  his,  enormously  aided  by  the  experience  and 
discipline  of  fifteen  years  of  play-writing.  The 
result  we  know. 

One  of  Sir  Walter's  most  fervent  admirers,  Mr 
Lang,  has  underlined  much  that  we  have  already 
implied,  and  though  he  probably  ranks  Scott  higher 


ALKXANDT^E  DTTISTAS  321 

than  the  Frenchman,  botli  as  a  man  and  as  a  writer, 
he  certainly  seems  to  us  to  endorse  all  that  we 
have  claimed  for  our  author.  In  "  Essays  in  Little" 
he  touches  this  point  again  and  again : 

"  Speed,  directness,  lucidity,  are  the  charac- 
teristics of  Dumas's  style,  and  they  are  exactly 
the  characteristics  which  his  novels  required. 
Scott  often  failed,  his  most  loyal  admirers  may 
admit,  in  these  essentials ;  but  it  is  rarely  that 
Dumas  fails,  when  he  is  himself  and  at  his 
best."  We  venture  to  add  that  these  are  the 
qualities  which  the  ideal  story  should  possess. 
Further  on  we  read:  *' It  is  admitted  that  Dumas's 
good  tales  are  told  with  a  vigour  and  life  which 
rejoice  the  heart ;  that  his  narrative  is  never  dull, 
never  stands  still,  but  moves  with  a  freedom  of 
adventure  which  perhaps  has  no  parallel.  ...  If 
Dumas  has  not,  as  he  certainly  has  not,  the  noble 
philosophy  and  kindly  knowledge  of  the  heart 
which  are  Scott's,  he  is  far  more  swift,  more  witty, 
more  diverting.  He  is  not  prolix,  his  style  is  not 
involved,  his  dialogue  is  as  rapid  and  keen  as  an 
assault-at-arms. " 

The  qualities  which  have  made  Scott  so  great 
and  so  beloved  are  not  part  of  his  technical  skill 
in  narrative,  and  it  is  only  with  that  particular 
quality  that  we  are  concerned  here.  Mr  Saints- 
bury,  in  the  "Short  History  of  French  Literature," 


322  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

although  treating  Dumas  critically,  as  becomes  one 
sitting  on  the  judge's  bench,  does  not  hesitate  to 
set  the  Frenchman,  in  his  peculiar  talent,  above 
Scott  and  all  others. 

"His  best  work,"  the  professor  declares,  "has 
remarkable  and  almost  unique  merits.  The  style 
is  not  more  remarkable  as  such  than  that  of  the 
dramas  ;  there  is  not  often  or  always  a  well-defined 
plot,  and  the  characters  are  drawn  only  in  the 
broadest  outline.  But  the  peculiar  admixture  of 
incident  and  dialogue  by  which  Dumas  carries  on 
the  interest  of  his  gigantic  narrations  without  weary- 
ing the  reader  is  a  secret  of  his  own,  and  has  never 
been  thoroughly  mastered  by  anyone  else." 

An  American  critic,  emancipated  from  any  super- 
stitious feeling  concerning  Scott,  has  put  his  opinion 
in  blunt  and  unmistakable  form.  "What  is  it," 
asks  Professor  Carpenter,  "  that  endears  Dumas  to 
us  ?  The  conventional  answer  would  be,  the  ex- 
citing character  of  his  plots.  And  his  plots  may 
well  be  called  exciting.  No  other  author — except 
Sienkiewicz,  who  learned  the  art  from  him — can 
match  him  there.  He  is  better  reading  than  Scott ; 
for  there  are,  as  a  rule,  no  elaborate  essays,  no 
dull  dialogues,  no  stupid  characters,  satisfactory 
only  to  the  antiquary.  The  characters  act  and 
talk ;  but  they  talk  only  to  make  the  act  more 
telling.       The    whole    moves    quietly,    rapidly,    but 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  323 

without  unnecessary  haste ;  every  scene  is  to  be 
enjoyed  as  it  passes ;  and  one  is  impressed  through- 
out by  the  power  that  the  author  keeps  in  reserve 
for  eacli  of  his  cHmaxes." 

In  short,  although  Dumas  found  his  inspiration 
in  Scott,  the  style  of  the  Frenchman's  romances 
was  essentially  different.  He  wrote  with  a  lighter, 
bolder  touch.  He  got  rid  of  all  the  impedimenta 
which  baulked  the  Scotsman's  speed.  His  books 
contain  little  or  no  background  ;  he  is  not  con- 
cerned with  scenery ;  still-life  has  no  attraction  for 
him-  Nor  do  his  heroes  indulge  in  the  torments 
of  mind  which  assail  the  old-fashioned  English 
hero  :  they  simply  speak  and  act. 

Nothing,  however,  can  be  so  instructive  as  a 
test-comparison  of  novels  by  the  two  romancers — 
say  "Waverley"  and  "  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires." 
Take  it  as  granted  that  it  is  a  story's  first 
duty  to  be  readable,  and  that  one's  attention 
should  be  seized  as  quickly  as  possible ;  and 
with  this  common-sense  fact  in  mind,  dip  first  into 
the  Scottish  and  then  into  the  French  romance. 

"  Waverley's"  first  nine  chapters  are  devoted  suc- 
cessively to  an  introduction,  the  hero's  birth,  his 
education,  his  day-dreams,  his  appointment  to  the 
army,  and  his  departure  from  home,  with  a  de- 
scription of  a  Scottish  "  horse-quarter,"  a  manor- 
house,    and    again,    the    manor-house.       You    have 


324  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

now  reached  page  40,  and  you  have  not  yet 
begun  the  story.  Turn  then  to  the  "  Mous- 
quetaires."  You  have  a  couple  of  pages  of 
introduction,  which  go  to  paint  the  character 
of  the  hero ;  and  on  the  third  the  story — -the 
plot — begins,  and  with  it  the  interest.  Your 
sympathies  are  at  once  enlisted  on  the  side  of 
D'Artagnan  by  the  Unknown's  cruel  behaviour 
toward  him  ;  your  curiosity  is  aroused  by  the  ap- 
parent mystery  surrounding  this  same  Unknown, 
by  the  theft  of  the  letter,  and  by  the  vision  of 
Miladi,  The  political  intrigue  has  begun,  also — 
and  all  in  the  first  chapter. 

Dumas  saw  clearly  that  dialogue  was  the  life, 
the  vitality  of  this  style  of  story — the  dramatic 
romance.  It  seems  a  truism  now  to  say  that  the 
best  insiofht  into  the  characters  of  a  book  is  qrained 
by  hearing  them  speak  ;  but  the  old-fashioned  novel 
relied  upon  description  to  convey  these  impressions 
to  the  reader's  mind.  Now  we  live  in  an  era  of 
"  suoro-estion  "  ;  somethino-  is  left  to  one's  imagfina- 
tion,  and  the  old  "steel-plate-engraving"  style  is 
dying  out  in  fiction  as  in  art. 

It  would  be  foolish  to  carry  the  comparison  any 
further.  Scott  possessed  powers  beyond  the  reach 
of  Dumas,  and  each  writer  must  be  judged  accord- 
ing to  his  aims  and  nature,  and  the  materials  at 
his   command.      Few   can   appreciate   both   writers. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  325 

their  styles  are  so  opposite.  To  those  who  love 
the  Scot  Dumas  is  frivolous  and  outre' \  to  those 
who  are  in  sympathy  with  the  French  spirit,  Scott 
is  dull  and  sluf^g"ish.  But  there  can  surely  be  no 
reasonable  doubt  as  to  which  is  the  master  and 
pioneer  of  the  story  of  adventure  as  we  know  it 
to-day. 

The  changes  which  have  come  over  the  historical 
novel  within  the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years  are 
striking  indeed.  The  old  school  was  perhaps 
founded  by  Scott,  and  certainly  imitated  by  Lytton, 
G.  P.  R.  James,  Ainsworth,  and  a  host  of  others. 
This  style  possessed  several  very  marked  features. 
Its  pages  abounded  in  description  ;  it  was  not  enough 
to  be  with  our  hero  in  his  adventures  ;  we  were 
obliged  to  listen  to  the  story  of  his  birth,  parentage 
and  upbringing,  with  many  other  dreary  details  by 
way  of  introduction.  We  were  regaled  with  lengthy 
accounts  of  scenery  and  buildings,  costumes  and 
customs.  We  found  the  heroine  a  very  sensitive 
and  sedate  young  lady,  with  supreme  sensibility 
and  a  wonderful  capacity  for  tears.  We  followed 
the  course  of  the  hero's  thoughts,  page  after  page, 
as  he  raved  at  fortune,  or  rhapsodised  upon  his 
love.  As  a  consequence  we  cultivated  a  habit  of 
"skipping,"  and  no  one  to-day  would  blame  us  for 
so  doing  ;  for  in  truth  there  was  a  laborious  heavi- 
ness   about    the    old-fashioned,    historical    romance. 


326  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Scott  succeeded  in  spite  of  his  style — or  lack  of 
it — but  his  successors,  one  and  all,  died  of  theirs. 

There  is  no  need,  we  think,  to  labour  the  point 
as  to  the  Frenchman's  influence  on  present-day 
romance,  if  our  readers  will  apply  a  simple  test,  and 
keep  one  or  two  dates  in  mind.  Read  firstly  one  of 
Scott's  imitators — some  romance  of  the  thirties  or 
forties,  and  note  the  rare  and  stilted  dialogue,  the 
padding,  the  lack  of  fire,  of  human  interest — the 
tawdry  dreariness  of  it.  Then,  after  half  an  hour 
at  the  "  Mousquetaires,"  let  the  reader  take  up 
some  modern  romance,  say  one  of  Mr  Weyman's, 
"  The  Refugees,"  by  Dr  Doyle,  or  Anthony  Hope's 
"  Simon  Dale."  This  subject,  we  are  aware,  de- 
serves a  whole  essay,  but  for  all  practical  purposes 
the  object  lesson  we  have  suggested  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  carry  conviction  with  it. 

We  are  told  that  the  influence  of  Dumas  can  be 
traced  back  as  far  as  "  Esmond,"  the  scene  of  "the 
breaking  of  the  sword "  being  suggested  by  more 
ihan  one  like  incident  in  the  Frenchman's  romances. 
Of  the  many  authors  who  have  benefited  by  a  study 
of  the  great  conteur,  one  has  acknowledged  his 
indebtedness.  This  is  Bret  Harte,  whom  one  would 
scarcely  have  expected  to  experience  such  an  in- 
fluence. He  testifies  to  having  received  "the 
sacred  spark "  whilst  reading  Dumas — the  burial 
of  Dantes  in  the  sack,  in  particular,  having  power- 


ALEX^VNDRE  DUJNIAS  327 

fully  affected  him.  "  The  grandeur  of  effect,  the 
simplicity  of  the  means,  the  absence  of  all  ap- 
parent effort,  caused  me  an  unspeakable  jo)'." 
In  after  years  he  gratefully  took  the  opportunity 
of  proclaiming  how  much  he  owed  to  Dumas. 
The  spirit  of  our  author  lives  to  this  day,  if 
Mr  A.  E.  W.  Mason's  recently  published  story, 
"  Clementina,"  be  any  criterion  ;  and  a  more  recent 
and  more  striking  example  is  that  of  Maxime 
Gorki,  who,  though  a  sombre  realist  in  tempera- 
ment, was  led  on  to  read  Gogol  and  Dumas  when 
all  other  literature  was  distasteful  to  him.  Forth- 
with the  Russian  was  seized  with  an  ambition  to 
write.  The  fact  that  the  optimistic  romancer  could 
awaken  emulation  in  a  nature  so  widely  different 
is  a  strong  proof  of  the  vital  power  of  his 
talents. 

But  the  modern  writer  whom  Dumas  most 
strongly  impressed  was  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
This  Sidney  Colvin  acknowledges,  in  his  preface 
to  his  friend's  "  Letters." 

"The  debate,  before  his  place  in  literature  is 
settled,  must  rather  turn  on  other  points,  as  whether 
the  genial  essayist  and  egoist  or  the  romantic  in- 
ventor and  narrator  was  the  strong^er  in  him — 
whether  the  Montaigne  and  Pepys  elements  pre- 
vailed in  his  literary  composition,  or  the  Scott  and 
Dumas  elements — a  question,  indeed,  which  among 


328  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

those  who  care  for  him  most  has  always  been  at 
issue."  Althoupfh  Stevenson  could  not  fail  to  make 
use  of  his  great  knowledge  of  Dumas  for  his 
own  ends,  being  a  man  of  originality  in  talent,  we 
seem  to  find  traces  of  the  great  Frenchman  here, 
there,  and  everywhere  in  his  admirer's  stories — 
subtle  effects,  twists  of  the  plot,  picturesque  situa- 
tions, chivalric  touches,  gusts  of  breezy  freshness 
— all  Stevenson,  and  yet  instinctively  familiar  to 
the  lover  of  Dumas. 

To  our  master  of  narrative,  those  literary  adorn- 
ments of  which  nowadays  we  are  so  dispropor- 
tionately proud  were  not  entirely  lacking.  He 
possessed  in  supreme  degree  a  third  quality — wit. 
It  was  this  which  rendered  his  dialogue  "brilliant" 
and  "  unapproachable  " — dialogue  "  of  which  the 
quantity  would  be  the  most  remarkable  point,  if 
its  quality  were  not  equally  remarkable."  Echo- 
ing Professor  Saintsbury,  Brander  Matthews  adds, 
— "dialogue  such  as  none  but  Dumas  could  write. 
...  He  was  witty  without  effort  and  without  end." 
This  gift,  as  we  have  seen,  made  the  quadroon 
the  kino^  of  Paris  and  the  most  deliofhtful  com- 
panion,  the  causeui"  par  excellence  in  print;  it  made 
comedy- writing  easy  to  him,  and  the  telling  of 
short  stories  a  delicrht  to  reader  and  writer. 

But  the  companion  quality  of  wit,  which  is  yet  so 
rarely  found   in   conjunction   with   it,  was    Dumas's 


ALEXANDRE  13U.MAS  329 

also,  although  most  critics  ignore  it,  and  one 
in  particular  denies  it.  "  He  had  little  humour, 
as  we  understand  the  word,"  Professor  Matthews 
declares,  "  and  what  he  had  was  on  the  surface." 
To  say  the  least  of  it,  humour  is  not  a  quality  which 
should  be  hidden  very  deeply  from  observation. 
Hay  ward,  whose  essay  shows  a  close  knowledge 
of  our  author's  writings,  remarks  "  he  had  an  ex- 
quisite perception  of  the  humorous  " ;  and  we  regret 
we  have  no  means  of  showing  our  readers  how 
truly  discerning  the  essayist's  words  proved  him  to 
be.  The  distinction  between  the  two  forms  of 
mirth  is  a  subtle  one  and  difficult  to  define,  we  are 
aware.  Dumas's  wit  is  at  least  quotable,  and  mostly 
to  be  found  in  dialogue  :  his  humour  is  more  airy 
and  tangible,  and  frequently  is  at  its  best  in  the 
telling  of  a  story. 

Unluckily  many  of  these  tales  are  not  known 
to  the  English  reader,  and  a  sly  style  is  apt  to 
evaporate  in  the  process  of  translation.  Neverthe- 
less we  are  convinced  that  when  Dumas's  own 
genuine  and  complete  writings  are  edited,  and 
Englished  by  translators  of  literary  taste,  this 
quality  in  them  will  be  recognised  with  delight  as 
still  another  vein  of  riches  in  the  mine  of  wealth 
left  us  by  this  versatile  genius. 

It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  Dumas's  works 
will  last.      His  plays,  with  one  or  two  exceptions, 


330  LIFE  AND  AVKITINGS  OF 

are  almost  forgotten,  even  in  France.  His  travels, 
which  "discovered  Europe"  to  the  million,  have 
been  imitated  so  often  that  they  have  paid  the 
penalty  of  their  success  and  become  common-place. 
The  literary  pendulum  swings  from  romance  to 
realism  and  back  from  realism  to  romance ;  at 
present  Zola  and  his  school  prevail  in  France,  and 
to  a  great  extent  throughout  Europe  and  America. 
Dumas  heartily  disliked  "naturalism."  The  Gon- 
courts  tell  us  that  when  he  read  "  Madame 
de  Bovary "  he  cried,  "If  that  is  good,  all  that 
we've  written  since  1830  is  worthless!"  But  the 
"  novel "  to-day  is,  on  the  whole,  better  written 
than  the  "romance,"  and  even  in  fiction  of  adven- 
ture psychology  plays  an  increasingly  important 
part. 

But  with  the  mass  of  readers  these  changes,  these 
fashions  of  the  moment,  have  little  weight.  In  the 
higher  strata  of  society  Dickens  and  Dumas  are  as 
dead  as  last  year's  novels ;  amongst  the  people, 
untroubled  by  ultra-intellectual  qualms,  those  de- 
spised authors  flourish  shamelessly.  As  the  stress 
of  daily  life  grows  more  acute,  as  the  great  primitive 
instincts  of  our  natures  become  more  and  more 
obscured  in  the  complex  duties  of  civilised  societ)-, 
the  more  likely  shall  we  be  to  turn  with  relief  and 
gratitude  to  the  welcome  optimism,  the  refreshing 
simplicity,  the   engrossing   charm   of  the  two  great 


ALEXANDRE  DUiMAS  331 

writers,  and  the  books  which  they  devised  for  our 
delight. 

It  is  acknowledged  that  Dumas  is  one  of  the 
amusers  of  the  world,  even  b)'  his  detractors,  who 
appear  to  think  that  to  amuse  is  easy  work,  requiring 
neither  skill  nor  effort,  deserving  neither  recognition 
nor  praise.  (If  the  amuser  is  born,  not  made,  the 
rarity  of  the  species  is  perhaps  accounted  for.)  Is 
this  power  so  small  a  thing?  "They  say  that 
Dumas  has  amused  three  or  four  generations," 
said  Jules  Claretie  ;  "  he  has  done  better :  he  has 
consoled  them.  If  he  has  shown  us  humanity  more 
generous  than  it  is,  do  not  reproach  him  for  that  : 
he  has  painted  it  in  his  own  image."  "Old  folk 
blessed  him,"  wrote  Jules  Janin,  "for  he  made  easy 
the  path  to  the  grave  ;  the  women  called  upon  him 
to  aid  them  against  their  sadness,  and  the  young 
men  swore  by  the  romances  of  their  poet."  "All 
our  hospital  patients  recover  or  die  with  one 
of  your  father's  books  under  their  pillow,"  said 
a  surgeon  to  Alexandre  Dumas  Jils.  "When 
we  wish  to  make  them  forget  the  terror  of  an 
approaching  operation,  the  tediousness  of  con- 
valescence, or  the  dread  of  death,  we  prescribe 
one  of  your  father's  novels,  and  they  are  able  to 
forget." 

One  great  poet  and  great  sufferer  has  left  his 
appreciative  gratitude  on  record  : 


332  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

"  For  six  years,"  wrote  Heine  to  his  confrere,  "  I 
have  been  bed-ridden.  During  the  worst  part  of 
the  time,  when  I  was  suffering  the  greatest  tor- 
ment, my  wife  read  your  romances  to  me,  and  that 
was  the  only  way  in  which  I  was  enabled  to  forget 
my  pains.  Thus  I  have  devoured  them  all,  and 
sometimes  during  the  reading  I  have  exclaimed 
'  What  an  ingenious  poet !  What  a  grand  fellow 
this  Dumas  is ! '  Certainly  after  Cervantes  and 
Madame  Schariaz,  better  known  as  the  sultana 
Scheherazade,  you  are  the  most  amusing  story- 
teller I  know.  What  fluency !  what  ease !  and 
what  a  good  chap  you  are !  Truly,  I  can  find  but 
one  fault  in  you :  that  is  modesty.  You  are  too 
modest.  Good  gracious !  those  who  accuse  you 
of  boastinor  and  swao-o-erino:  have  no  notion  of  the 
greatness  of  your  talent ! 

Nor  are  these  "amusing"  books  ephemeral  in 
their  charm  ;  there  is,  in  despite  of  critics,  some- 
thing more  than  merely  an  hour's  entertainment 
in  Dumas's  romances.  Their  particular  qualities 
have  been  thus  defined  by   Dr  Garnett : 

"  Dumas  stands  out  as  the  first  among  the  truly 
eminent  novelists  of  the  world  for  exuberance  of 
production.  To  class  him  thus  is  to  assign  him 
a  high  place.  .  .  .  Exuberance  implies  a  vast 
fertility  of  invention  ;  animated,  impassioned  style; 
and    more   particularly   great    facility    in    dialogue. 


AT.EXANDRE  DUMAS  333 

All  these  merits  Dumas  possesses  in  the  hig-hest 
decree :  his  invention  moves  within  the  limits  of 
humanity,  his  characters  are  credible  personages, 
neither  monsters  nor  puppets." 

"  If  his  imagination  was  not  of  the  highest 
quality,"  says  Professor  Bryce,  "it  was  of  almost 
unsurpassed  fertility-" 

Mr  Saintsbury,  reflecting  upon  the  charm  which 
the  romancer's  books  possess  for  him,  is  vaguely 
conscious  of  an  abiding  quality  in  what  seems  so 
slight,  so  fleeting  in  its  nati^re  : 

*'  Dumas  has  the  faculty,  as  no  other  novelist 
has,  of  presenting  rapid  and  brilliant  dioramas  of 
the  picturesque  aspects  of  history,  animating  them 
with  really  human  if  not  very  intricately  analysed 
passion,  and  connecting  them  with  dialogue  match- 
less of  its  kind.  He  cannot,  as  a  rule,  do  much 
more  than  this,  and  to  ask  him  for  anything  more  is 
unreasonable,  though  in  rare  passages  he  rises  to 
a  much  greater  height.  But  he  will  absorb  your 
attention  and  rest  you  from  care  and  worry  as 
hardly  any  other  novelist  will,  and,  unlike  most 
novelists  of  his  class,  his  pictures,  at  least  the  best 
of  them,  do  not  lose  their  virtue  by  rebeholding.  I 
at  least  find  '  The  Three  Musketeers '  not  less  but 
more  effectual  for  its  purpose  than  I  found  it  thirty, 
twenty,  ten,  even  five  years  ago,  and  I  think  there 
must  be  something  in  work  of  such  a  virtue  than 


334  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

mere  scene  -  painting  for  a  background  and  mere 
lay-figures  for  actors." 

Professor  Carpenter  sees  evidence  of  the  "  stay- 
ing power  "  in  these  books,  and  does  not  hesitate  to 
s?.y  so. 

"  I  find  one  explanation  of  the  deeper  effect  these 
volumes  make  on  me,"  he  writes,  "  in  the  fact  that 
Dumas,  recklessly  as  he  apparently  wrote,  and  in 
headlong  haste,  has  somehow  managed  to  build  his 
characters  out  of  genuinely  human  material.  He 
seems  to  treat  them  like  the  veriest  puppets  ;  they 
wear  their  hearts  on  their  sleeves  ;  and  yet  neither 
the  creations  of  Scott  nor  of  Shakespeare  are  more 
truly  alive.  With  women  he  was  less  successful ; 
though  Margtierite,  the  queen  of  folly,  the  gracious 
Diane  de  Monsoreau,  and  the  proud  Comtesse  de 
CJiarny,  are  wonderful  types  of  womanhood.  But 
his  men  are  men.  U Aidagnan,  Athos,  Po7d/ios, 
and  Aramis ;  Chicot,  Heni'i  IV.,  La  Mole, 
Coconnas,  Bussy  d Aniboise ;  Balsaino,  Philippe  de 
Tavernay,  and  Gilbert — not  to  mention  others — 
these  are  as  solidly  and  finely  imagined  as  any 
characters  in  literature.  How  the  author  could 
have  produced  them  we  may  never  cease  to 
wonder ;  but  they  do  exist.  He  lived  a  foolish 
life;  and  he  wrote  in  haste;  but  he  wrote  from  his 
heart,  and  his  heart  was  by  nature  clairvoyant.'' 

And  he  adds  in  conclusion  : 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  335 

"  Such  are  the  considerations,  in  my  judgment, 
which  raise  Dumas  above  the  horde  of  vulgar 
romancers.  His  fame,  hke  his  genius,  is  not 
academic,  and  the  critics  may  praise  him  with  only 
half  a  heart,  but  his  great  public  will  be  none  the 
worse.  One  who  reads  him  will  pass  the  word  to 
another ;  and  each  who  knows  him  will  be  a  better 
man." 

Finally,  Mr  Lang  sees,  beyond  the  mere  power 
of  amusement  possessed  by  Dumas,  a  philosophy 
and  an  ethical  influence. 

"In  all  he  does,  at  his  best,  as  in  the  '  Chevalier 
d'Harmenthal,'  he  has  movement,  kindness,  courage, 
and  gaiety.  His  philosophy  of  life  is  that  old  philo- 
sophy of  the  sagas  and  of  Homer.  Let  us  enjoy 
the  movement  of  the  fray,  the  faces  of  fair  women, 
the  taste  of  good  wine  ;  let  us  welcome  life  like  a 
mistress,  let  us  welcome  death  like  a  friend,  and 
with  a  jest — if  death  comes  with  honour.  .  . 
That  his  works  (his  best  works)  should  be  even 
still  more  widely  circulated  than  they  are  ;  that  the 
young  should  read  them,  and  learn  frankness,  kind- 
ness, generosity — should  esteem  the  tender  heart, 
and  the  gay,  invincible  wit ;  that  the  old  should 
read  them  again,  and  find  forgetfulness  of  trouble, 
and  taste  the  anodyne  of  dreams,  that  is  what  we 
desire." 
.   A^^^  have  more  than  oncf^  dubbed  Dumas  "  qreat," 


336  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

and  possibly  the  reader  has  smiled  to  himself,  or 
registered  an  inward  protest  at  the  time.  And  yet 
a  threefold  proof  can  be  presented  in  support  of 
the  tremendous  adjective. 

To  our  thinking,  the  very  reason  advanced  by 
many  critics  for  refusing  greatness  to  Dumas  offers 
one  of  the  strongest  presumptions  in  favour  of  that 
claim.  "  There  is  perhaps  hardly  such  another 
instance,"  says  Dr  Garnett,  "of  a  man  with  so 
little  moral  or  intellectual  claim  to  rank  among 
the  ^lite  of  letters,  taking  so  high  a  place  upon 
the  literary  Olympus."  (We  have  neither  time  nor 
space  to  do  more  than  register  a  strong  protest 
respecting  the  "  immorality  "  of  Dumas's  claim  to 
literary  rank,  and  pass  on.)  "  Inferior  in  intellec- 
tual power  to  his  principal  contemporaries,  his 
instinct  is  often  truer  than  their  reason." 

Roughly  speaking,  great  writers  may  be  divided 
into  two  classes — ^those  whose  work  is  based  on 
reason  and  process  of  thought,  and  those  whose 
utterances  are  prompted  by  instinct  and  inspira- 
tion. We  refrain  from  suggesting  instances  of  what 
we  may  call  the  "  intellectual  "  writers  and  the 
"spiritual"  writers;  neither  quality  can  claim  to 
be  higher  in  itself  than  the  other,  and  some  great 
men,  like  Shakespeare,  possess  both.  The  one 
type  of  mind  tends  to  produce  logicians,  political 
economists,  problem-novelists  and  playwrights,  poll- 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  337 

ticians,  theologians,  and  so  forth ;  the  other  gives 
birth  to  the  poets,  seers  and  prophets  in  all  forms 
of  art.  To  this  latter  class  Dumas  belonged.  He 
lacked  the  power  of  poetic  expression  in  its  highest 
form,  it  is  true  ;  but  there  existed  behind  that 
barrier  a  nature  akin  in  essentials  to  a  poet's. 
Not  only  do  his  writings  show  this,  but  those 
who  knew  him  or  have  studied  him  have  testified 
to  this  fact  a^iain  and  aorain.  He  was  '■'■  clair- 
voya7it "  ;  he  divined  in  a  flash  what  reason  must 
laboriously  discover ;  his  intuitive  instinct,  guided 
by  his  intelligence,  served  him  in  place  of  experi- 
ence, memory  and  logical  thought.  We  have 
given  numerous  instances  of  his  political  foresight. 
Such  qualities  are  of  the  highest,  even  if  Dumas 
did  not  possess  ther'x  to  the  uttermost ;  the  soul 
is  at  least  the  equal  of  the  brain. 

This  power,  mysterious  and  inexplicable,  too 
often  produces  the  visionary,  the  fanatic.  It  had 
a  very  earthly  abode  in  Dumas,  and  in  one  sense 
this  was  an  enormous  advantage.  On  a  subject 
which  appealed  to  him  he  could  reason  well  and 
clearly,  and  grasp  both  principle  and  detail.  Blaze 
de  Bury  tells  us  that  the  novelist  once  casually 
ventured  to  dispute  with  Geoffroy  St  Hilaire  on  a 
point  of  natural  history  relating  to  the  whale's 
anatomy.  Dumas  imperturbably  maintained  his 
hypothesis  ;    the   great    savant    smiled    with    good- 

Y 


338  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

natured  scorn.  Will  it  be  believed  ?  When  the 
standard  authorities  were  consulted  on  the  ques- 
tion, they  confirmed  the  romancer's  view ! 

It  would  seem  that,  according  to  Dr  Garnett, 
Dumas  was  "great"  in  some  respect,  and  by  virtue 
of  some  high  power.  We  presume  that  if  Dumas 
is  "high  on  Olympus"  he  has  some  right  to  be 
there :  and  if  his  is  not  the  greatness  of  intellect, 
what  form  does  his  genius  take?  It  must  surely 
be  a  quality  equal  in  calibre  to  that  of  brain- 
power, and  there  we  are  content  to  leave  the 
matter. 

Another  of  Dumas's  claims  to  the  rank  of 
great"  is  pithily  put  by   Hay  ward. 

"  A  title  to  fame,  like  a  chain  of  proofs,  may 
be  cumulative.  It  may  rest  on  the  multiplicity 
and  universality  of  production  and  capacity.  .  .  . 
Dumas  will  thus  take  rank  as  one  of  the  three 
or  four  most  popular  and  gifted  writers  that  the 
France  of  the  nineteenth  century  produced."  Brander 
Matthews  takes  the  same  view.  "  Even  more  re- 
markable than  the  range  of  Dumas's  work  is  its 
general  level  of  merit.  He  had  at  least  one  element 
of  greatness — an  inexhaustible  fecundity."  He  adds 
regretfully  :  "With  his  great  powers  one  feels  that 
he  ouorht  to  have  done  somethincr  higher  and 
nobler :  that  he  had  great  powers,  admits  of  no 
cavil."      All   who  love    Dumas  and  appreciate  his 


ALEXANDRE  DUJNIAS  339 

work  will  echo  this  sentiment.  Dr  Garnett  makes 
the  same  point  when  attributing  to  the  Frenchman 
"a  fecundity  rivalled  by  very  few  novelists,  and 
a  standard  of  merit  equalled  by  none  who  have 
approached  Dumas's  productiveness." 

We  find  a  third  "  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  us  " 
in  the  fact  that  so  many  great  writers  have  proclaimed 
Dumas  great,  if  not  in  so  many  words,  still,  un- 
mistakably. It  is  not  simply  the  ordinary  reader 
who  is  astounded  at  the  romancer's  charm  and 
resource,  wit  and  skill  ;  "  the  front  row  of  the 
stalls " — the  principal  men  and  women  writers  of 
his  day  —  applauded  him  just  as  heartily.  We 
could  wish  nothing  better  than  that  the  reader 
should  compare  the  respective  calibre,  and  worth, 
of  our  author's  eulosfists  and  detractors.  For  in 
addition  to  the  great  names  we  have  already  quoted 
there  were  others  as  "loyal"  in  their  acclamation 
as  Charles  Reade  himself.  "  I  have  an  opinion  of 
human  things,"  wrote  Lamartine,  poet  and  historian  ; 
"  I  have  none  on  miracles  :  you  are  superhuman. 
My  opinion — of  you — it  is  a  note  of  exclamation  ! 
People  have  tried  to  discover  perpetual  motion — 
you  have  done  better :  you  have  created  perpetual 
astonishment ! " 

"He  was  not  France's,  he  was  not  Europe's, 
he  was  the  world's ! "  cried  Hugo ;  and  he 
it     was    who    wrote    '*  Ce    qtiil    seme,    cest    lidde 


340  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

Fra'jifaise"  He  has  indeed  taught  French 
and  the  French  to  the  whole  world.  Swin- 
burne writes  of  Dumas's  "  excellent  heart  and 
brilliant  genius " ;  Stevenson  "  would  not  give  a 
chapter  of  old  Dumas  for  the  whole  boiling  of 
Zolas."  Blaze  de  Bury,  a  sober  critic,  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  literature  of  his  nation  and  the 
great  writers  of  his  time,  declared  that  "  if  there 
can  be  said  to  have  been  a  French  Shakespeare, 
it  was  Dumas.  Hugo,  who  imagined  that  he  was 
descended  from  the  Elizabethan  poet  in  a  direct 
line,  had  far  less  claim  to  such  parentage  than 
Dumas."  The  most  illuminating  tribute  to  our 
author's  genius  was  without  doubt  that  of  Michelet 
the  historian.  "  Monsieur,"  he  wrote,  ''Je  vous  aime 
et  je  V021S  admire,  pare e  qtie  votis  eies  ttne  des  forces 
de  la  nature."  This  is  strikingly  true  :  there  was 
something  great,  something  primitive,  elemental, 
about  Dumas,  which  explains  at  once  his  strength 
and  his  weaknesses.  '*  His  virtues  were  colossal," 
says  Dr  Garnett,  "  and  he  had  the  defects  of  his 
qualities."  The  mixture  of  "white"  and  "black" 
blood  produced  a  phenomenon  of  physical  strength 
and  energy  in  General  Dumas  ;  a  combination  of 
physical  and  mental  energy  and  strength  in  Dumas 
pere ;  and  the  "  strain  "  survived  to  give  us  a  re- 
markable instance  of  intellectual  capacity  in  Dumas 
fils. 


ALEXANDRE  DUMAS  341 

Briefly,  our  author  was  great  because,  being  a 
natural  force,  with  the  great  instincts  of  primitive 
man,  without  subtlety,  or  fear,  or  a  doubt  of  self, 
he  strove  greatly  and  achieved  great  things,  or 
failed  as  thoroughly.  Ridicule  never  soured  him 
nor  baulked  him  of  his  end  and  aim  ;  in  heart  and 
valour  and  confidence  he  was  a  giant.  Such  men 
are  rare  in  these  days,  and  "to  encourage"  any 
possible  "others,"  we  have  laughed  at  this  one  for 
his  failures  ;  and  measuring  his  stature  with  our  eye, 
through  the  wrong  end  of  the  telescope,  have 
decided  that  he  was,  if  anything,  rather  below  the 
middle  height.  In  saying  this  we  feel  that  we  have 
added  another  inch  or  two  to  our  own  tall  selves. 

We  have  reserved  for  final  quotation  three  very 
different  estimates  of  our  hero,  which  cannot,  on  the 
whole,  be  said  to  err  on  the  side  of  eulogistic 
platitude.  The  first  is  from  Castelar's  essay  on  our 
author,  and  we  present  it  with  only  one  comment — 
that  whereas  the  eloquent  Spanish  scholar  obtained 
his  knowledfre  of  Dumas's  orenius  direct  from  the 
writer's  books,  he  received  his  impression  of  the 
Frenchman's  life  and  conduct  throuo^h  the  medium 

o 

of"  De  Mirecourt"  and  others,  as  his  article  plainly 
indicates. 

"  Probably  but  few  men  have  been  born  with  so 
many  and  such  brilliant  qualities  as  Alexandre 
Dumas.      His    dramas    are    somewhat    deficient    in 


342  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

finish,  but  they  are  highly  interesting-.  His  novels 
contain  nothing  ideal,  but  much  that  is  enchanting. 
Had  he  taken  time  for  reflection,  he  would  have 
produced  some  perfect  work.  With  such  great 
rapidity  this  was  impossible.  His  creations  are 
meteors  when  they  might  have  been  stars.  Here 
we  find  a  poet  of  a  wonderful  imagination,  of  an 
extraordinary  power,  fallen  in  the  mire  of  the 
Parisian  streets ;  punished  for  not  having  con- 
sidered life  as  a  reality,  art  as  a  religion,  genius  as 
a  ministry,  the  world  as  a  tribunal,  and  history,  that 
conscience  of  humanity,  as  a  judge." 

In  an  oration  full  of  feeling  and  eloquence,  M. 
Edmond  About  pronounced  a  formal  eulogy  on 
Dumas  at  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  in  Place 
Malesherbes  in   Paris,   in    1883.^ 

"  This  statue,"  said  M.  About,  "  is  that  of  a 
great  madman,  who,  into  all  his  good  humour  and 
astonishing  gaiety,  put  more  true  wisdom  than  there 
is  to  be  found  in  the  hearts  of  all  of  us  here.  .  .  . 
It  is  the  likeness  of  a  prodigal  who,   after  having 

^  This  monument  owed  its  origin  and  completion  to  the  loving 
admiration  which  the  great  romancer  has  so  generally  inspired. 
A.  M.  Villard,  a  traveller,  had  cheered  so  many  of  his  hours  of  enforced 
idleness  with  the  company  of  d'Artagnan  and  his  innumerable  com- 
rades, that  he  set  on  foot  a  scheme  to  recognise  publicly  and  per- 
petually the  author's  fame  and  worth.  When  the  committee — a 
representative  one,  full  of  illustrious  names — was  still  lacking  the 
money  for  the  sculptor's  labour,  Gustavo  Dore,  the  artist,  offered  to 
do  the  work,  literally  "  for  love," 


THE  Dl'MAS  MONUMENT  BV  DOKE,    PLACE  MALESHEKBES,  PAKIS 


ALEXANDKE  DIJJMAS  343 

squandered  millions  in  a  thousand  generous  ways, 
left,  without  knowintr  it,  a  kino^'s  treasure  behind 
him — it  is  the  portrait  of  a  '  man  of  pleasure,' 
whose  life  might  well  serve  as  a  model  for  all 
men  who  work ;  of  an  egoist  who  devoted  his 
life  to  his  mother,  his  children,  his  friends,  and 
his  country." 

As  a  summary  of  Dumas's  character,  an  epitome 
of  his  greatness,  and  his  failings — human  and  full 
of  charity,  we  have  not  bettered  this  of  Mr  Henley's, 
in  all  our  reading,  and  our  own  searchings  of  heart 
and  brain  : 

"In  life  he  was  very  much  of  a  scapegrace  and 
a  madcap,  and  even  more  of  a  prodigal.  His  morals 
were  loose,  he  was  vain  as  only  a  man  of  colour  can 
be,  his  literary  conscience  was  (to  say  the  least) 
imperfect,  his  veracity  was  that  of  the  roniantiques 
in  o-eneral,  he  could — and  did — commit  astonishin"- 
offences  in  taste  ;  but  his  humanity  was  boundless  in 
degree  and  incorruptible  in  quality,  he  was  generous 
to  a  fault,  he  is  not  known  to  have  dealt  a  single 
foul  blow  .  .  .  the  fact  is,  that  he  was  a  prodigy  of 
gaiety,  kindliness,  and  charm,  and  a  prodigy  of 
temperament  and  power,  and  capacity  of  life  and 
invention  and  achievement.  He  talked  still  better 
than  he  wrote  ;  and  he  wrote  without  any  affecta- 
tions of  style,  and  with  an  ease,  a  gusto,  a  sincerity 
of  mind,  a  completeness  of  method  that  are  irresist- 


344  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

ible.  And  the  lesson  of  his  greater  books  is  one 
by  which  the  world  may  well  have  profited.  Love, 
honour,  friendship,  loyalty,  valour,  the  old  chivalric 
virtues  —  these  were  his  darling  themes ;  and  he 
treated  them  with  a  combination  of  energy  and 
insight,  of  good  sense  and  good  feeling,  of  manliness 
of  mind  and  beauty  of  heart,  that  has  ranked  him 
with  the  greatest  benefactors  of  the  race." 

Well  may  we  add,  with  Villemessant,  that  "  if 
during  Dumas's  long  career  there  are  some  in- 
cidents which  one  ought  to  judge,  severely  we 
should  pass  them  by  in  silence,,  not  only  out  of 
respect  for  the  great  name  which  he  has  left  to 
French  literature,  but  ^ilso  out  of  sympathy  with 
the  excellent  heart  which  did  so  little  harm,  and 
wrought  such  an  enormous  amount  of  good." 

It  has  been  our  aim  throughout,  to  leave  the 
praise  we  fain  would  speak  to  come  from  the 
mouths  of  others,  who  would  do  the  pleasant  task 
more  skilfully,  and  be  listened  to  with  the  respect 
which  their  reputations  can  command.  We  are 
aware  that  as  a  result  critics  may  dub  us  ''  com- 
piler," or  "book-maker."  Had  we  "stolen  the 
thunder"  of  our  authorities,  omitting  acknowledg- 
ment and  quotation-marks,  we  might  have  passed 
for  being  very  clever,  very  conceited — or  very  dis- 
honest. .We  preferred  to  speak  by  the  mouths  of 
others,  the  better  to  establish   Dumas's   reputation. 


ALEXANDRE  DUiMAS  345 

and  to  let  the  captious  say  what  they  choose. 
*'\Vhat  matters  it  to  the  artist,  so  that  the  work 
be  done  ?  " 

Yet  we,  too,  have  a  word  to  say.  The  great 
men  have  spoken  their  glowing  periods  by  the 
grave-side,  and  turned  away.  Before  it  is  too 
late  we,  who  have  lingered  behind,  crave  the  right 
to  come  forward,  take  a  last  leave  of  our  old 
friend,  and 

*'  cast  at  his  feet  one  flower  that  fades  away." 

Stevenson  has  said,  half-stoically,  half-bitterly, 
that  an  author  must  look  to  his  pleasure  in  writing 
as  the  only  reward  for  his  work.  If  this  be 
true,  we  have  already  received  our  best  pay  for 
our  labours.  Nothing  that  may  happen  to  this 
book  can  give  the  author  the  pleasure  which  he 
has  found  in  the  preparation  of  it.  With  every 
day's  research  his  wonder,  respect  and  love  grew 
and  deepened.  "What  a  man  to  love!"  he  thought ; 
and  then,   "  How  this  man  was  loved ! " 

That,  we  believe,  was  the  secret  of  Dumas's 
success,  of  his  lasting  popularity,  and  of  his  great- 
ness. He  was,  like  Fielding  and  Goldsmith,  a  man 
who  won  affection  without  effort.  **  If  any  man 
could  be  lovcable,  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word, — 
that  is,  made  to  be  loved, — he  was  that  rnan,"  so 
wrote  one  who  knew  him  well  end  intimately ;  and 


346  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF 

indeed  all  who  knew  him  seem  to  speak  of  him 
with  full  hearts,  almost  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  so 
fond  and  affectionate  is  their  remembrance  of  the 
man.  From  the  famous  great  ones  who  treated 
him  as  their  equal,  to  the  servants  who  strove  to 
save  him  from  his  generosity,  to  the  very  dogs  he 
rescued,  Dumas  earned  love  from  all,  by  giving  it, 
generously  and  without  thought  of  return.  A 
heart  such  as  his  will  outlive  many  a  cleverer 
brain. 

'' Je  suis  tout  en  dehors,''  he  once  declared,  in 
laughing  self-  disparagement.  True,  most  of  his 
vices,  and  some  of  his  virtues,  were  on  the  surface, 
easy  to  be*  seen.  But  it  would  be  truer  to  say  of 
him  that  his  was  so  transparent  a  nature  that  the 
sun  of  life  shone  through  it,  and  that  like  a  precious 
stone,  its  rays  were  reflected  in  myriad  sparkling 
flashes  of  joy,  gaiety,  kindliness  and  generosity. 
The  flaws  were  there  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  this 
was  a  o^enuine  diamond. 

'^  J' aime  qui  in  aimey  It  was  his  motto,  that  line 
from  the  Proverbs  :  "I  love  them  that  love  me." 
Loving  the  world,  cheering  it  in  its  wretchedness, 
brightening  its  hours  of  leisure,  giving  to  it  fully 
of  his  wealth  of  gaiety  and  wit,  he  failed  at  times 
to  keep  the  respect  of  the  more  prosaic,  and  was 
delivered  over  to  the  mercy  of  the  envious.  But 
those  who  have  loved  the  people,  the  people  never 


ALEXANDRE  DUJMAS  347 

forget.  The  dying  Dumas  feared  he  had  written 
in  vain.,  but  he  wroui^ht  better  than  he  knew  ;  and 
the  rock  of  human  nature  on  which  he  built  will 
endure  throuijh  asfes  of  carkinfj  Time,  and  all  the 
storms  of  chancre. 


TO  MY  FATHER 

Oh,  my  father,  thou  the  thinker,  thou  the  poet — can  it  be 
That  naught  will  snap  the  chain  of  bondage  round  thy  heart,  and  set 
thee  free  ? 

Must  thou  ever  give  thy  best 
To  the  others  who  grow  wealthy  with  the  riches  from  thy  store, 
Leaving  you  not  e'en  as  solace,  when  the  long  week's  work  is  o'er. 

One  brief  seventh  day  of  rest? 

Bow  thy  head,  then  to  thy  labours  !      Not  for  thee  the  fields,  the 
flow'rs, 

Laughing  song  of  birds,  that  echo  in  the  leafy  mountain  bow'rs, 
Peaceful  sleep  of  liberty, 

Smiling  valleys,  in  the  glory  of  the  setting  summer  sun. 

And  the  sweet,  faint  breath  of  nature — Heaven's  gift  to  ev'ry  one- 
Free  to  all  men,  but  to  thee. 

From  thy  study-window  gleaming,  one  may  watch  and  see,  alway 
When  the  twilight  falls  at  even,  when  the  dawn  is  dim  and  gray. 

Light  of  lamps  that  shine  for  thee. 
Galley-slave  of  thine  own  talent,  thou  must  toil,  and  toil  in  vain  ; 
Thou  canst  not,  with  all  thy  weary  years  of  labour  and  of  pain. 

Buy  a  month  of  liberty  ! 


348  LIFE  AND  AVRITINGS 

Be  it  so,  then — thou,  the  cornfield  rich  in  flowing  golden  grain 
Still  must  see  the  gladdened  reapers  in  the  season  come  again, 

Reap  the  harvest  thou  hast  grown  ; 
Be  thou  still,  the  bright,  the  wondrous  star,  whose  light  all  men  may 

share, 
Shining  on,  supreme,  majestic  in  the  studded  heavens  there, 

Distant — splendid — and  unknown  1 

Work,  then,  for  the  coming  ages,  that  shall  hold  thy  days  so  dear  j 
Strive,  and  testify,  and  suffer,  like  some  ancient  prophet-seer  ! 

Thou  thy  onward  course  shalt  keep 
Calm  and  peaceful,  like  the  Rhine,  that  grand  old  river.     To  thy  brink 
Let  all  nations  come,  and,  grateful,  of  thy  flowing  current  drink, 

'Twill  be  still  as  clear  and  deep  ! 

Work,  then,  freely  ;  work  unceasing.     I  will  watch  beside  the  gate  ; 
What  care  I  what  others  think  me  ?     For  I  know  that,  'spite  their  hate. 

Soon  or  late,  fame  will  be  mine. 
But  to-day  my  place  is  here  ;  for  I  the  pious  duty  claim 
Here  to  stand,  to  guard  from  wrong  a  father's  glory  and  fair  name, 

As  it  were  a  sacred  shrine  ! 

■{From  the  French  of  Alexandre  Dumas  Jils.) 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  A. 

Comparative  List  showing  the:  Events  in  French  History 
covered  by  the  romances  of  dumas 

As  we  have  said,  it  was  Dumas's  ambition  to  write  the  history  of 
his  country  in  romance.  As  even  he  quailed  before  the  task  of 
telhng  the  story  from  the  days  of  Ccesar,  or  of  Charlemagne 
downward,  he  contented  himself  with  biographies  of  those  heroes, 
and  began  his  task  in  the  fourteenth  century,  when  literature  had 
so  far  developed  as  to  afford  the  novelist  some  material  for  his 
background.  It  was  Barante's  work  deahng  with  this  era  which 
fired  the  author  to  attemj)t  "  Isabel  de  Baviere,"  and  he  saw  no 
reason  for  going  backwards  down  history  for  his  subjects.  Hence- 
forth, although  there  are  gaps,  there  is  scarcely  a  reign  which  he 
does  not  touch.  We  have  thought  it  best  to  add  the  histories 
and  historical  plays  to  the  romances,  to  show  that  Dumas  fulfilled 
his  intentions  in  one  form  or  another.  The  task  was  practically 
completed  with  the  Napoleonic  romances,  although  one  or  two 
intermittent  attempts  to  bring  the  record  up  to  his  own  time 
were  made  by  Dumas.  The  reign  of  Louis  XI.  was  probably 
abandoned  by  the  author  because  of  "Quentin  Durward,"  and 
the  episode  of  the  death  of  Charles  the  Bold,  Louis's  enemy, 
because  of  "Anne  of  Geierstein." 

1328  The  House  of  Valois — Philip     "La   Comtesse   de    Salis- 

VI.  ascends — Edward  III.  of        bury." 

England  claims  the   French 

crown— Anglo-French  Wars. 
1350  John    II. — Poitiers — Regency 

of  Charles  "The  Dauphin." 

351 


352 


APPENDIX  A 


1364  Charles     V. — Spanish      Civil 

War — French      interposition 

under  du  Guesclin. 
1389  Charles    VI. — His    insanity — 

The  feuds  of  the  Burgundians 

and  Armagnacs. 
1415  Agincourt. 
1422  Charles  VII.  and  Agnes  Sorel, 

etc. 

1429-31  Joan  of  Arc. 

1461  Louis  XI. 

1477  Charles  the  Bold  of  Burgundy 

slain  by  the  Swiss. 
1483  Charles  VIII. 


"  Le  Batard  de  Mauleon." 


"  Isabel  de  Baviere." 


"Charles  VII.  chez  ses 
grands  Vassaux "  (tra- 
gedy). 

"Jehanne  la  Pucelle" 
(chronique). 

"  Charles  le  Temeraire  " 
(biography). 


15 


1540 
1547 


1559- 

1560 
1572 

1574 

1574 


1589 


Louis  XII. 

Francis  I.  —  "Field  of  the 
Cloth  of  Gold  "—The  Refor- 
mation (15 1 7),  etc. 

Charles  V.  and  Francis  I. 

59  Henri  II.  —  Calais  taken 
from  the  English  —  War  in 
the  Low  Countries. 

60  Francois  II.  and  Mary 
(Queen  of  Scots). 

Charles  IX. 

Massacre  of  St  Bartholomew's 
Eve. 

Death  of  Charles. 
89  Henri    III. — Assassination 
of  Due  D'Anjou — Death   of 
St  Megrin,   etc. — Huguenot- 
Catholic  Wars. 

1610  Henri  IV. — The  wars  of 
the  Holy  League — Edict  of 
Nantes,  etc. 


"  Ascanio." 

"Les  Deux  Diane"  and 
"  Le  Page  du  Due  de 
Savoie"  (1555-57). 

"  L'Horoscope." 


"  La  Reine  Margot." 

"  La  Dame  de  Monsoreau  " 
and  "Les  Quarante- 
Cinq "  ;  "  Henri  Trois 
et  Sa  Cour  "  (drama). 

"Henri  IV."  (biography). 


APPEXDIX  A 


353 


1610-2S  Louis    XIII. — Richelieu- 
Capture  of  La  Rochelle,  etc. 


1643-60  Louis  XIV. — Mazarin  — 
The  war  of  the  Fronde — Col- 
bert and  Fouquet — The  king's 
loves  (De  la  Valliere  and  de 
Montespan)  —  The  Man  in 
the  Iron  Mask,  etc. 


1708  Old  age  of  Louis — Marriage 
with  Madame  de  Maintenon 
— Death  of  Louis  XIV. 

17 1 7  The  Regency  of  the  Due 
D'Orleans. 


1727-29  The  youth  of  Louis  XV. 
1756  The     Seven     Years'     War — 

Canada  won  from  France  by 

the  English  (1760). 
1770-74  Last  years  of  Louis  XV. — 

Court  intrigues,  etc. 
1774  Death  of  Louis  XV. 

1774  Louis  XVI. — The  affair  of  the 

queen's  necklace  (1784). 
1789  The  Revolution. 

1789  Taking  of  the  Bastille. 


■Lc  Comte  de  Moret," 
"La  Colombe,"  "Les 
Trois  Mousquetaires." 
(See  also  "  Les  Grands 
Hommes  en  Robe-dc- 
Chambre.") 

'■  La  Guerre  des  Femmes  " 
(1650)  and  "Vingt  ans 
Apres "  (the  Fronde) ; 
"  Le  Vicomte  de  Brage- 
lonne"  (1660);  "La 
Jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV." 
(comedy);  "Louis  XIV. 
et  son  Siecle"  (his- 
tory). 

'  Sylvandire." 


"  Chevalier  d'Harmenthal " 
(Cellamare  conspiracy) 
and  '■'  Une  Fille  du 
Regent."  "LaRegence" 
(history). 
"  Olympe  de  Cleves." 
"Louis  XV.  et  Sa  Cour" 
(history). 

"Les  Memoires  d'un  Me- 

decin." 
"Le     Testament    de     M. 

Chauvelin." 
"Le  Collier  de  la  Reine." 

"  Ingenue,"  "  Louis  XVI.  et 
la  Revolution  "  (history). 

"Ange  Pitou"  ("The 
Taking  of  the  Bastille"). 


354 


APPENDIX  A 


]  79 1  The  Royal  Family's  attempted 
flight  from  France,  etc. 

1793  Execution  of  Louis  XVI.  and 
Marie  Antoinette — Reign  of 
Terror  —  The  Revolution, 
from  Valmy  and  Jemappes 
to  the  fall  of  Robespierre. 


1798-9  French  in  Italy — Conquest 
and  loss  of  Naples. 

1799-1S00  The  Directoire  —  La 
Vendee — Rise  of  Napoleon 
— Royalist  conspiracies. 

1 801  Napoleon  in  Egypt — Siege  of 
Acre,  etc. 

1805  Napoleon's  Continental  Cam- 
paigns. 

181 2  The  Russian  Expedition. 

1814  Louis  XVIIL— The  "Hundred 

Days  " — Return  of  Napoleon 
from  Elba. 

1 8 15  Waterloo. 

1824  Death  of  Louis  XVIIL  and 
Accession  of  Charles  X. 

1S30  The  Revolution  of  July — 
Charles  X.  flies  to  England, 
Louis  Philippe,  king. 

1832  The  Duchesse  de  Berri's 
"  Second  Vendee." 


"  La  Comtesse  de  Charny," 
"La  Route  de  Va- 
rennes  "  (history). 

"  Le  Chevalier  de  Maison- 
Rouge";  "Les  Blancs 
et  les  Bleus "  and 
"  Blanche  de  Beaulieu  " ; 
"  Le  Docteur  Mysteri- 
eux  "  and  "  La  Fille  du 
Marquis  "  ;  "  Ninety- 
three  "  (history). 

"  La  San  Felice." 

"  Les  Compagnons  de 
Jehu  "  and  "  Les  Blancs 
et  les  Bleus." 

"Les  Blancs  et  les  Bleus" 
(second  series). 

"  Le  Trou  de  I'Enfer." 
and 

"  Le  Capitaine  Richard." 

"  Black,"  "  Monte  Cristo." 


"  Napoleon  "        (history) ; 
"  Napoldon  "  (drama). 


"  Dieu  dispose." 


"Les  Louves  de   Mache- 
coul." 


APPENDIX  B. 


The  Chief  Events  in  Dumas's  Life,  with  their  Dates. 


Birth  at  Villers-Cotterets  ....  July  24,  1802 

Death  of  his  Father,  General  Dumas     ....         1806 

Becomes  a  Clerk  with  M.  Mennesson,  the  Notary  .         181 6 

Becomes  a  Clerk  with  M.  Lefevre,  Crepy      .         .         .         1822 
Runaway  trip  to  Paris  .  .         .  .         .  .  .  1822 

Return  to  Paris — Clerkship  in  the  Orleans  Bureau         .         1823 
Birth  of  Alexandre  Dumas _/?/$•       .....  1824 

Production  of  "  La  Chasse  et  1' Amour  "         .  September  22,  1825 


1826 
1827 
1829 
1830 


Publication  of  "  Nouvelles  Contemporaines  " 

Kean  and  the  English  Shakespeare  Company  in  Paris 

Production  of  "  Henri  Trois,"  Theatre  Frangais       Feb.  10 

Production  of  "  Christine  "  at  the  Odeon      .  March  29 

"The  Revolution  of  July";    the  Soisson   Expedition 

July  30  and  31,  1830 

"  The  Revolution  in  La  Vendee " ;  as  Special   Com- 
missioner   .... 

Production  of  "  Antony  " 

Attacked  by  the  Cholera 

Gaillardet  and  "  La  Tour  de  Nesle" 

Publication  of  "  Isabel  de  Baviere" 

Swiss  Travels        .... 

Visit  to  England  .... 

Travels    in   the    South    of  France,    Corsica 
Sicily  ..... 

Travels  in  H)eres,  Etna,  Naples,  etc. 

Death  of  Durnas's  Mother     . 

Travels  in  Belgium  and  on  the  Rhine 

Production  of  "  Mademoiselle  de  Belle-Isle" 

355 


.  August 

1830 

. 

1831 

. 

1832 

. 

1832 

. 

1832 

. 

1832 

. 

1S33 

1,  Calabria, 

. 

1834 

1 

S35-6 

. 

183S 

. 

183S 

" 

1839 

356 


APPENDIX  B 


Marriage  with  Mdlle.  Ida  Ferrier.         .         .         .      March  1840 

Residence  in  Italy 1 840-1-2 

Production  of  "  Una  Mariage  sous  Louis  XV."      .         .         1841 

Voyage  with  Louis  Napoleon 1842 

Production  of  "  Les  Demoiselles  de  St  Cyr"  .  .  1843 
Finally  rejected  by  the  Academie  ....         1843 

Publication  of  "  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires  "  and  "  Monte 

Cristo"        ........  1844 

Travels  in  Spain  and  along  the  N.  coast  of  Africa  .      1846-7 

Opening  of  Dumas's  Theatre,  the  "  Historique  "  February  1847 
Opening  of  the  "Palace"  of  Monte  Cristo  .  .  July  1847 
Second  Republic  :  Dumas  a  Candidate  for  the  Chamber 

of  Deputies 1848 

Coup  d'etat :  Dumas  leaves  Paris  for  Brussels  .  .  185 1 
Return  to  Paris  :    the  "  Mousquetaire  "  founded,   with 

Dumas  as  Editor  and  Chief  Contributor  .  Nov.  12,  1853 
Visit  to  England May-June,  1857 


Travels  in  Russia  and  the  Caucasus 
Joins  Garibaldi's  Sicilian  Expedition 
Stay  in  Naples      .... 
Return  to  Paris    .... 
Travels  in  Germany  (Frankfort),  etc. : 

Austrian  War 
Lectures  at  the  Havre  Exhibition 
Seized  with  illness 
Taken  to  Puys,  near  Dieppe,  by  his  Son 
Death  there  ..... 


.       1858-9 

May  i860 

.    1860-64 

1864 


after  the  Prusso- 


1S66 
1868 
1869 
1S70 
December  5,  1870 


Body  removed  to  Villers-Cotterets  by  his  Son         .  May  187,? 

Unveiling   of    the   Statue    to    Dumas,    in    the    Place 

Malesherbes,  Paris      ....    November  4,  1883 


APPENDIX  C 

List  of  Books  by  Dumas  or  Attributed  to  him,  with  their 
Approximate  Dates  of  Publication  and  Remarks  on 
their  Authenticity. 

It  is  almost  impossible  for  any  student  of  Dumas  to  compile  a 
perfectly  exhaustive  and  accurate  bibliographical  list  of  his  works. 
They  were  published,  some  in  Paris,  some  in  Brussels,  in  varying 
forms  and  with  different  titles,  and  the  works  of  reference  available 
for  our  purpose  are  incomplete.  Even  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale, 
Paris,  has  not  a  complete  set  of  his  works.  But  for  the  use  of  the 
ordinary  reader  the  following  table  will  be  found  adequate.  It  is 
based  on  the  list  of  Dumas's  works  as  given  by  Calmann-Levy, 
the  authorised  publishers,  with  one  or  two  additions,^  and  is 
prepared  from  the  notes  afforded  by  Glinel,  Parran  and  Querard, 
supplemented  by  the  information  supplied  in  Dumas's  various  auto- 
biographical writings  and  in  the  biographical  sketches  on  Dumas, 
etc.,  and  by  our  own  researches  and  information  privately  supplied 
to  us.  For  the  comments  respecting  the  genuineness  or  other- 
wise of  the  books  the  writer  is,  of  course,  solely  responsible, 
although  in  most  cases  his  opinion  is  that  of  the  majority  of  the 
impartial  critics  who  have  dealt  with  the  subject.  For  the  con- 
venience of  readers  those  books  not  ordinarily  accessible  in 
English  are  printed  in  italics,  and  to  facilitate  reference  the 
works  are  given  in  alphabetical  rather  than  chronological 
order. 

Several   of  the   dates   have   been   kindly   supplied   by   M.M. 
Calmann-Levy. 

^  Those   books   starred    thus    *   are    the  only  ones    not    included    in   the 
Calmann-Levy  series. 

357 


358 


APPENDIX  C 


Romances  and  Autobiographical  Works. 

Name  OF  Book.  Pi.nfi^lTi'!iM  Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 


Acte 
Amaury 


1839 
1844 


Ange  Pitou  (or  "Talc         1853 
ing  the  Bastille  ") 


Ascanio  1843 
Une  Avenlure  cT  Amour       1862 

Les  Aventures  de  Johi  1840 
Davys 

Aventures  de  Lyderic  1842 

Le  Batard  de  Mauleon  1846 

Black  1858 
Les    Blancs    et    les    1867-8-9? 

Bleus 

La      Bouillie     de     la  1844 

Com.'esse  Berthe 

La   Boule    de    Neige  1853 

("The  Snowball") 

Bric-a-Brac  1 8  6 1 

Un  Cadet  de  Famille  i860 


Mainly  Dumas's,  but  probably 

finished  by  an  assistant. 
Q)    Writteti    by    P.    Meurice, 

probably      under      Dumas's 

supervision. 
For  explanation  of  the  abrupt 

end  see  Part  III.    We  believe 

that    this     book     is     solely 

Dumas's. 
Dumas,    in   collaboration  with 

Meurice. 
Dumas.    This  volume  also  con- 
tains "Herminie"  or  "Une 

Amazone." 
Stated  by  Thackeray  to  be  half 

original,  half  derived  from  an 

anonymous  work. 
The   story   of  Siegfried.      See 

"La  Bouillie,"  etc. 
In  collaboration  with  Maquet, 

who  finished  the  romance. 

Dumas's  last  work.  Contains 
"The  Eighth  Crusade." 

A  fairy  -  tale  for  children. 
Followed,  in  Cahnann-Levy, 
by  "Aventures  de  Lyderic." 

Written  by  Dumas  from  Mar- 
linsky. 

Fugitive  papers  and  autobio- 
graphical "mems." 

A  translation,  at  tlie  direction  of 
Dumas,  of  Trelawney's  "  Ad- 
ventures of  a  Younger  Son." 


APPENDIX  C 


359 


Name  of  Book. 


Year  of 
Publication. 


Le  Cajn'faine  Pamphile  1 840 

Le     Capitaine     Paul  1832 

(Jones) 

Lc  Capitaine  Richard  1858 

Catherine  Bliuii  1854 


Causeries 


i860 


Ceci/e,  or  Lc  Robe  de       1S43 

Noce 
La  Chasse  au  Chastre        1841 


Le   Chasseur  de   Sau-       1859 
vagiiie 

L.e  Chateau  D'JEppsteift       1 844 


Le   Chevalier   D'Har-       1843 

menthal   (or    "The 

Consi)irators  ") 
Le        Chevalier       de       1846 

Maison-Rouge 
Le  Collier  de  la  Reine    1849-50 
La  Co'ombe  185 1 

Les   Compagnons   de       1857 

Jehu 
Le  Comte  de  Monte       1844 

Cristo 


Remarks  re  Autiienticitv,  etc. 

Written  by  Dumas  for  a 
children's  journal. 

Dumas's  sequel  to  Fenimore 
Cooper's  "  Pilot." 

Undoubtedly  Dumas. 

Said  to  have  been  suggested  by 
Iffland's  "Gardes Forestiers." 
Dymas.  Translation  out  of 
print. 

A  collection  of  autobiographia, 
jeux  d'esprit  and  sporting 
sketches.  Contains  also  D.'s 
impressions  of  England. 

Probably  mainly  by  a  collabo- 
rator. 

Dumas.  Licluded  in  the  "  Im- 
pressions de  Voyage  "("Le 
Midi  de  la  France"). 

Probably  written  by  Dumas 
from  a  story  supplied  by  the 
Comte  de  Cherville. 

According  to  Dumas,  narrated 
to  him  in  1841.  Probably 
not  his. 

Dumas,  with  the  assistance  of 
Maquet. 

Ditto.      See    "Memoires   d'un 

Medecin." 
Ditto. 
Dumas.     Bound  with  "  Maitre 

Adam  le  Calabrais"  (C.L.). 
Dumas.     Probably   with    Paul 

Bocage's  assistance. 
Dumas,  with  the  assistance  of 

Maquet. 


360 


APPENDIX  C 


Name  of  Book. 


Year  of 
Publication. 

*Le  Comte  de  Moret  1866 


La       Conitesse       de     1853-5 

Charny 
La   Conitesse  de  Sails-       1839 

Iniry 
Les   Confessiojis  de  ia        1857 

Marquise 

Consciejice      P  Innocent       1853 
''orTEnfafit" 

*Crimes  Celebres  1839-40 


La    Dame    de    Mon-       1846 
soreau  ("  Chicot  the 
Jester  ") 

La  Dame  de  Volupte  1863 


Les  Deux  Diane 


1846-7 


Les  Deux  Remes 
Dieu  dispose 


1864 
1852 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc 

Dumas.  Not  available  either 
in  French  or  English. 

Dumas  alone.  See  "  Memories 
d'un  Medecin." 

First  chapter  fiction ;  the  rest  a 
mere  chrojiiqtie  of  history. 

Part  of  a  version  of  the 
"  Memoires  de  Madame  du 
Deffand."     Not  by  Dumas. 

Written  by  Dumas  on  the  basis 
of  some  chapters  in  Hendrik 
Conscience's  "Conscrit." 

Under  the  editorship  of  Dumas, 
and  most  of  the  articles 
written  by  him.  (See  Part 
III.). 

Dumas,  with  the  assistance  of 
Maquet.  See  "  Les  Quarante- 
Cinq."  Not  a  sequel  to  "  La 
Reine  Margot." 

From  the  "  Memoires  de  Mdlle. 
de  Luynes."  Unlikely  to  be 
by  Dumas. 

It  is  said  that  Dumas,  in  a 
letter  written  to  Meurice  in 
1865,  gives  that  ex-colla- 
borator the  entire  "  honours  "  ' 
of  this  historical  romance. 
He  probably  dictated  the 
plot,  however.  The  same 
no  doubt  applies  to  "  Le 
Page  Ju  Due  de  Savoie." 

Sequel  to  "  La  Dame  de 
Volupte." 

Dumas.  Sequel  to  "Le  Trou 
de  I'Enfer." 


APPENDIX  C 


361 


Year  ok 
Name  of  Book.  Publication. 

Le  Docteur  MystMeux       1872 


Ejnma  Lyonna 


La  Fille  dti  Marquis 
Une  Fille  du  Regent 
Le  Fils  du  Forcat 
Les  Freres  Corses 

Gabriel  Lamberi 

Georges 


1865 


La  Femme  au  Collier       1851 

de  Velours 
Fcriiande 


1844 
1872 

1845 
i860 

1845 
1844 


La  Guerre  des  Fern-      1845-6 

mes  (Nanon) 
Histoire  de  mes  Bites  1 868 


Histoire    d'un    Casse-       1844 
Noisette 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Dumas.  Published  in  book 
form  pos.thumously.  See 
"La  Fille  du  Marquis." 

Sequel   to    "La    San    Felice. 
"  Emma"  is  Lady  Hamilton, 
on  whose  reputed  Memoirs 
Dumas  is  said  to  have  based 
the  work. 

Dumas.     "  After  "  Hoffmann. 

Not  Dumas.  Claimed  by  H. 
Auger. 

Sequel  to  "  Le  Docteur  Mys- 
terieux." 

Dumas  with  Maquet's  assist- 
ance. 

Dumas  in  collaboration  with 
an  anonymous  assistant. 

Undoubtedly  Dumas.  With 
this  (in  C.-L.)  is  bound 
"  Otho  I'Archer." 

Either  based  on  fact  as  alleged, 
or  on  a  story  supplied  to 
Dumas. 

Attributed  by  some  to  Malle- 
fille.  Much  more  probably 
by  Dumas  with  Mallefille's 
assistance. 

Dumas  with  Maquet's  assist- 
ance. 

Dumas  chatting  on  pets,  ser- 
vants, etc.  :  with  some  auto- 
biographical episodes. 

Translated  and  adapted  from 
Hoffmann's  book  of  that 
name. 


362 


APPENDIX  C 


Name  of  Book. 

L'Homme  aux  Contes 


Year  of 
Publication. 


1858 


L'Horoscope 

1858 

Llle  de  Feu 

1870 

Inginue 

1854 

Isaac  Laquedem 

1853 

Isabel  de  Baviere 

1836 

Jacques  Ortts 

1839 

Jacquot  sa7U  Oreille s 

1859-60 

Jane 

1863 

Les  Louves  de  Mach  e-  1859 
colli 

Madame  de  Chamblay  1863 

La  Mai  son  de  Glace  i860 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Collection  of  translations  of 
fairy-tales  from  other  lan- 
guages. 

Little  more  than  a  fragment, 
but  undisputably  Dumas. 

Dumas,  probably  in  collabora- 
tion with  an  "assistant"  who 
knew  Java. 

Dumas.  Said  to  have  been 
written  with  Maquet,  but  tliis 
is  unlikely. 

Little  more  than  a  fragment. 
Stopped  b"  the  Censor. 
Dumas's  own  work. 

A  series  of  scenes  selected, 
dramatised  and  vitalised  with 
dialogue  from  Barante's 
"Histoire  des  Dues  de  Bour- 
goyne."  Translation  out  of 
print. 

A  translation,  said  to  be  by 
Fiorentino,  of  a  work  by  Ugo 
Foscolo. 

Said  to  have  been  "given"  to 
Dumas :  certainly  not  by 
him. 

From  the  Russian  of  Marlinsky. 
Contains  also  "Un  coup  de 
feu"  and  "Le  faiseur  de 
cerceuils"  (both  also  from 
the  Russian). 

Dumas-       Probably     with    an 

assistant. 
Doubtful.   Attributed  to  Octave 

Feuillet. 
Translated  from  the  Russian. 


APPENDIX  C 


363 


XT              T5  Year  of 

Name  of  Book.  Publication. 

Ma'ttre  Adam  ie  Cala-  1840 
brais  ^ 


r F.MARKS  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Unquestionably  Dumas.  Bound 
with  "La  Colombe."  Colla- 
borator: Fiorentino. 

Dumas.  From  materials  ob- 
tained during  a  visit  to  Hol- 
land. 

Not  by  Dumas, 

A  version  of  the  "  Memoires 
de  Madame  da  Deffand." 
See  "Les  Confessions  de  la 
Marquise."     Not  by  Dumas. 

Dumas,  with  Maquet's  assist- 
ance. (Sequels  :  "  Le  Collier 
de  la  Reine,"  "  Ange  Pitou," 
"  La  Comtesse  de  Charny " 
and  "Chevalier  de  Maison- 
Rouge." 

Dumas.  A  tale  of  Villers-Cot- 
terets. 

The  s*ory  of  his  life,  1802-32. 

Not  now  accessible. 

Said  to  have  been  in  collabora- 
tion with  Paul  Bocage.  A 
treatise  on  the  horrible, 
rather  than  a  story. 

Dumas  in  collaboration  with 
Bocage.  Translation  now 
out  of  print.  Followed  by 
"Salvator." 

"Appreciations"   of    Chateau- 
briand, le  Due  et  Duchesse 
D'Orleans,    Beranger,     Sue, 
De  Musset,  etc.,  by  Dumas. 
Une  Nuit  h  Florence  186 1       Dumas. 

1  A  translation  by  the  writer  will  shortly  be  published. 


Les  Mariages  de  Fere         1850 
Olifus 

Le  Marquis  d' Escoman         1861 

(Drames  Galantes) 
Memoires  d'lin  Aveugle      1856-7 


Les     Memoires    d'un       1847 
Medecin       (  "  The 
Memoirs  of  a  Phy- 
sician ") 


Le  Meneur  de  Loups  1857 

Mes  Memoires  1852-4 

*  Memoires  d' Horace  i860 
Les  Milles-ct-un    Fan-        1849 
tonics 


Les  Mohicans  de  Farts     1854-5 


Les  Marts  vont  vite 


1861 


364 


APPENDIX  C 


Name  of  Book. 

Olympe  de  Clbves 


Year  of 
Publication. 

1852 


Le  Page  du  Due  de 

185s 

Savoie 

Parisie?is    et    Provin- 

1864 

ciaux 

Pascal  Bruno 

1838 

Le  Pasteur  d'Ashdourn 

1853 

Pauline 


Le  Pere  Gigogne 


Le  Pere  la  Ruine 


1838 


i860 


i860 


Le  Prince  des  Vokurs 

1872 

and  Pobin  Hood  le 

1873 

Proscrit 

La  Prhicesse  de  Mon- 

1854 

aco 

La  Princesse  Nora 


1863 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

It  is  asserted  that  Maquet  was 
a  collaborator  with  Dumas  in 
this  work.  If  so,  his  share 
was  small. 

See  "  Les  Deux  Diane." 

Dumas,  in  collaboration  with 
the  Comte  de  Cherville. 

Dumas.  Bound  with  "Paul- 
ine "  (C.  L.). 

Not  by  Dumas.  At  most,  re- 
written by  him  from  an 
English  story,  or  a  German 
story  with  an  English  locale. 

Dumas.  First  indications  ap- 
peared in  his  Swiss  "  Impres- 
sions de  Voyage." 

Chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  transla- 
tions of  fairy  tales  from 
foreign  authors,  introduced 
by  "  Le  Lievre  de  mon 
grandpere,"  told  to  Dumas 
by  de  Cherville.  One  story 
which  bears  the  undoubted 
stamp  of  our  author's  style  is 
"  La  Jeunesse  de  Pierrot." 

Probably  written  with  de  Cher- 
ville. 

Not  Dumas.  Probably  trans- 
lations of  some  English 
stories. 

Not  by  Dumas.  The  title- 
page  announces  the  book  as 
"  recueilli "  par  Alexandre 
Dumas. 

Translated  from  Marlinsky. 


APPENDIX  C 


365 


Name  of  Book. 

Les     Quarante  -  Cinq 

("The    Forty -Five 

Guardsmen") 
La      Reine      Margot 

(  "  Marguerite       of 

Valois ") 
El  Salteador 
(In      Dent's      edition 

"The  Brigand"). 


Salvaior 

La  Safi  Felice 


Year  of 
Publication. 


Smivenirs  d' Antony 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,    tc 

1848  Dumas,  with  Maquet's  assist- 
ance. The  concluding  por- 
tion aictated  to  his  son. 

1845  Dumas,  with  Maquet.  This 
book  has  no  sequel. 

1854  In  a  prefatory  note  to  this 
romance  in  the  "  Mousque- 
taire,"  Dumas  disavows  the 
authorship.  Nevertheless  it 
is  probably  by  him  and  one 
of  his  'prentices. 

1855-9  Dumas,  with  Bocage.  See 
''Les  Mohicans  de  Paris." 

1864-5  Proved  to  be  by  Dumas.  His 
only  long  untranslated 
romance.  Followed  by 
*'  Emma  Lyonna "  and 
"  Souvenirs  d'un  Fa- 
vorite." 

1835  A  collection  of  short  stories  by 
Dumas,  previously  published 
— called  after  the  hero  of 
the  famous  play,  Antony 
figuring  in  one  of  them, 
"Z^  Bal  Masquer  The 
others  are  ''■  Le  Cocker  de 
Cabriolet^''  "  Blanche  de 
Bcaulieu"  (or  "  Le  Rose 
Rouge  "),  "  Cherub  1710  et 
Ceiestint,'^  *^ Bernard,"  '■^ Dojn 
Martyns  de  Freytas,"  and 
"■  Le  Curi  Cha7nbard:'  Of  the 
untranslated  ones  "  Cherti- 
bino  et  Cetestini"  is  the  most 
important. 


866 


APPENDIX  C 


Name  of  Book. 

Souvenirs  Dra  matiques 


Year 
publicatic 

1868 


Souvenirs  d^un  Favorite 

Sultanetta 

Sylvandire 

La  Terreur  Prussienne 


Le  Testament  de  M. 
Chauvelin 


Les  Trois    Mousque- 
taires 


1865 

1859 

1844 
1867 

1861 

1844 


Le  Trou  de  TEnfer  1 850-1 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc 

Colle  ction  of  articles  by  Dumas: 
dramatic  criticisms,  essays  on 
the  theatre  and  the  State, 
etc.,  including  "  William 
Shakespeare,"  "  Mon  Odys- 
see  a  la  Comedie  Frangaise," 
and  a  report  of  the  "  special 
commission"  of  1849  (of 
which  Dumas  was  a  mem- 
ber) on  the  question  of  the 
censorship. 

See  "La  San  Fehce"  and 
"  Emma  Lyonna." 

Dum~^'s  version  of  a  Russian 
story  by  Marlinsky. 

Dumas  with  Maquet's  assistance. 

The  thread  of  fiction  is  only 
slight.  Dumas  treats  chiefly 
of  Frankfort  during  the 
Prusso- Austrian  War  of  1866. 

Dumas,  and  partly  autobio- 
graphical. This  volume  in 
C.-L.  also  contains  "  Don 
Bernardo  de  Zuniga." 

Dumas,  with  Maquet's  assist- 
ance. Founded  on  Courtils 
de  Sandraz's  "  Memoires  de 
D'Artagnan."  Sequels : 

"Vingt  Ans  Apres"  and  "  Le 
Vicomte  de  Bragelonne." 

Dumas,  possibly  with  Gerard 
de  Nerval  or  some  other 
'prentice  acquainted  with 
Germany.  Sequel,  "  Dieu 
dispose,"  probably  Dumas's 
alone. 


APPENDIX  C 


367 


Name  of  Book. 

La  Tulipe  Noire 

Le  Vicomte  de  Brage- 
lonne 


Utie  Vie  d' Artiste 


Vingt  Ans  Aprt^s 
("Twenty  Years 
After") 


Year  of 
publicai  ion. 

1850 
1848-50 


1854 


1845 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Dumas,  with  Maquet's  assist- 
ance. 

Dumas,  with  Maquet.  Based 
on  n:atcrial  taken  from 
Madame  de  la  Fayette's 
"Histoire  d'Henriette  d'- 
Angleterre."  See  "  Les  Trois 
Mousquetaires." 

Dumas's  account  of  the  early 
struggles  of  the  comedian, 
Melingue,  the  creator  of  the 
stage  "D'Artagnan." 

Dumas,  with  Maquet.  See 
"  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires." 


History 
Charles  le  Tcmeraire 


Les  JDranie  de  '93 


Les  Drames  de  la  Mer 


Filles,       Lorettes 

Courtisanes 
Les  Garibaldie7is 


Oaule  et  France 


Biography,  etc. 

1859       Historical    sketch    of    Charles 

the  Bold  of  Burgundy. 
1851-2     See     "Louis     XIV.     et     Son 
Siecle." 

1852  Includes      "  Boutikoe,"     "  Le 

Capitaine  Marion,"  "  La 
Junon"  and  "  Le  Kent." 
Stories  of  shipwreck  and 
other  sea-adventures. 
et  1873  "Les  Serpents"  is  included  in 
this  voUune. 
1861  Dumas's  "despatches  from  the 
seat  of  war"  during  Gari- 
baldi's progress  from  Sicily 
to  Naples,  i860. 

1853  A  rapid  survey  of  French  his- 

tory from  the  earliest  time, 
ending  with  a  remarkable 
prophecy  as  to  the  future. 


368 


APPENDIX  C 


Name  OP  BOOK.  pZlZrIcu. 

Les  Grands  Hommes  efi 
Robe-de-chambre  : 

Cesar  1857-S 

Henri  IV.  1866 

Louis    XIII.,    et       1866 
Richelieu 
*  Histoire  des  Bourbons       1863 

Histoire     de     Louis       1852 
Philippe 

Les  Hommes  de  Fer  1867 


Italiens  et  Flamands 


1846 


Jehanne  la  Pucelle  1842 

Louis    XIV.    et    Son      1844-5 
Siecle 


Louis  XV.  et  sa  C our  1849 

Louis     XVI.     et     la  1 850-1 

Revolution 

Les  Medicis  1845 


Mimoires  de  Garibaldi      i860 


^  Mimoires  de  Talma        1850 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Part  of  a  scheme  for  a  series 
biographies    of    great    men 
from  the  earliest  to  the  latest 
period,  written  from  a  new 
point  of  view. 

Originally  written  in  Italian, 
"  I  Borboni  di  Napoli." 

or  "  Histoire  de  Dix-Huit  Ans  " 
(1830-48),  published  in  1853, 
and  again,  "Le  Dernier  Roi." 

A  republished  collection  of 
"  studies  "  of  Pepin,  Charle- 
magne, etc. 

Appreciative  sketches  of 
painters — Andrea  del  Sarto, 
Botticelli,  Holbein,  Diirer, 
etc.,  etc. 

A  "  chronique  "  of  Joan  of  Arc. 

The  first  of  a  series  of"  histori- 
cal eras"  which  ended  with 
the  "Drame  de  '93."  Dumas's 
most  important  historical 
work. 

The  series  continued  ("  La 
Regence  "  intervening). 

Ditto :  followed  by  the  last  of 
the  series,  "'93." 

Should  be  read  in  connection 
with  "  Trois  Maitres  "  and 
"  Italiens  et  Flamands." 

An  account  of  Garibaldi's  ex- 
ploits in  S.  America,  written 
by  Dumas  from  materials 
afforded  by  Garibaldi  himself. 

Written  by  Dumas  from 
materials  left  by  Talma. 


APrEXDIX  c 


369 


Name  op  Book. 

Ykar  of 
Publication. 

Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Mhnoires  d' Horace 

i860 

Not  now  accessible  in  English 
or  French. 

Napolhn 

1839 

A  picturesque  biography. 

La  Rcgence 

1849 

See  "  Louis  XIV.  et  son  Siecle." 

La  Route  de  Varennes 

i860 

Story  of  Louis  XVL's  flight  in 
1791. 

Les  Stuarts 

1840 

Not  a  trustworthy  work.  Con- 
tains lengthy  extracts  from 
Scott's  "Abbot,"  etc. 

Trois  Maitres 

1862 

The  three  masters  are  Michael 
Angelo,  Titian  and  Raphael. 
See  "  Italiens  et  Flamands  " 
and  "  Les  Medicis." 

Travels 

Une  Annie  a  Florence 

1841 

See  "  Le  Midi  de  la  France." 

B Arable  Heureuse 

i860 

By   Haii  'abd  el  Hamid  Bey. 

Les  Balelnlers  1861 

Le  Capltalne  Arena  1842 


Le  Caucase 

1859 

L,e  Corrlcolo 

1843 

De  Paris  a  Cadlx 

1848 

Excursions     sur 

les 

1841 

Bords  du  Rhln 

Published  by  Dumas's  assist- 
ance. 

The  travels  of  Dr  Felix  May- 
nard,  published  by  Dumas. 

Account  of  a  voyage  round 
Sicily,  etc.  See  "  Le  Speron- 
are." 

Sequel  to  the  Russian  "  Im- 
pressions." 

Impressions  of  Naples.  Written 
with  Fiorentino. 

Letters  from  Spain,  describing 
Dumas's  tour  in  1846.  See 
"Le  Veloce." 

BelgKum  and  the  Rhine.     Pos- 
sibly with  Gerard  de  Nerval, 
Dumas's  companion. 
2  A 


370 


APPENDIX  C 


Name  OP  Book.  pJ^rc^TToN. 

Un  Gil  Bias  en  Call-  1852 
fornie 

Impressions  de   Voyage  i860 

en  Russie  and  '65 

Impressions  de  Voyage  1833 
en  Suisse 

Mhnoires  d'un  Maitre  1 840 
d'Armes 


Le  Midi  de  la  France         1841 

Un  Pays  Inconnu  1865 

Quinze  Jours  au  Sinai       1839 


Le  Speronare 


Le  Veloce 


1842 


La  Vie  au  Desert  i860 


Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

Published  by  Dumas,  with  an 
introduction  by  him. 

Followed  by  "  Le  Caucase." 

Dumas's  first  book  of  travel, 
thought  by  many  to  be  his 
best. 

Classified  by  Calmann-Levy 
as  "  travels."  Dumas  edited 
his  friend  Grisier's  impres- 
sions of  St  Petersburg,  etc. 
There  is  a  slight  element  of 
narrative. 

Followed  by  "  Une  Annee  a 
Florence"  and  "La  Villa 
Palmieri."  This  book  con- 
cludes with  "  La  Chasse  au 
Chastre." 

Not  Dumas.  Notes  on  Brazilian 
travel  by  another  hand. 

Written  by  Dumas  from  notes 
by  Baron  Taylor,  and  draw- 
ings by  Dauzats. 

Impressions  of  Sicily.  Written 
with  the  help  of  Fiorentino. 
Followed  by  "  Capitaine 
Arena"  and  "  Le  Corricolo." 

Account  of  Dumas's  visit  to 
Tangiers,  Algiers  and  Tunis, 
etc.  Sequel  to  "  De  Paris  a 
Cadix." 

Simply  a  translation  of  R.  G. 
Gordon-Cumming's  book  on 
the  adventures  of  a  lion 
hunter  in  Africa. 


APPENDIX  C  371 

Namk  of  Book.  PuuficATioN  Remarks  re  Authenticity,  etc. 

La  Villa  Pabnieri  1843       Souvenirs    of    Florence.       See 

"  Une  Annee  k  Florence." 
Contains  "  Un  Alchimiste 
du  Dix-Neuvieme  Sicclc." 

The  sixty-six  plays  are  issued  in  twenty-five  one-franc  volumes, 
or  fifteen  volumes   at   3   f.   50    c,   by   MM.   Calmann-Levy,  as 
follows  : — 
Tome  Y\ — Comment  je  devins  auteur  dramatique. — La  Chasse 

et  I'Amour. — La  Noce  et  I'Enterrement. — Henri  IIL  et  sa 

Cour. — Christine. 
Tome  IL — Napoleon   Bonaparte. — Antony. — Charles  VIL  chez 

ses  grands  vassaux. 
Tome    IIL — Richard    Darlington. — Teresa. — Le    Mari    de    la 

Veuve. 
Tome  IV. — La  Tour  de  Nesle. — Angele. — Catherine  Howard. 
Tome  V. — Don  Juan  de  Marana. — Kean. — Piquillo. 
Tome  VI. — Caligula. — Paul  Jones. — L' Alchimiste. 
Tome  VII. — Mademoiselle   de   Belle-Isle. — Un    Mariage    sous 

Louis  XV.^Lorenzino. 
Tome  VIII. — Halifax.— Les  Demoiselles  de  Saint-Cyr. — Louise 

Bernard. 
Tome  IX. — Le  Laird  de  Dumbiki. — Une  Fille  du  Regent. 
Tome  X. — La  Reine  Margot. — Intrigue  et  Amour. 
Tome    XL — Le    Chevalier    de    Maison-Rouge. —  Hamlet. — Le 

Cachemire  vert. 
Tome  XII. — Monte-Cristo  (i'^  partie). — Monte-Cristo  (a^partie). 
Tome  XIII. — Le  Comte  de  Morcerf  (3^  partie  de  Monte-Cristo). 

— Villefort  (4"  partie  de  Monte-Cristo). 
Tome    XIV. — La    Jeunesse    des    Mousquetaires. — Les    Mous- 

quetaires. 
Tome  XV.— Catilina. — Le  Chevalier  d'Harmental. 
Tome  XVI. — La  Guerre  des  Femmes. — Le  Comte  Hermann. — 

Trois  Entr'actes  pour  r Amour  medecin. 
Tome  XVII. — Urbain    Grandier. — Le   Vingt-Quatre   Fevrier. — 

La  Chasse  au  chastre. 


372  APPENDIX  C 

Tome  XVIII. — La  Barribre  de  Clichy. — Le  Vampire. 

Tome    XIX. — Romulus. — La    Jeunesse    de    Louis    XIV. — Le 

Marbrier. 
Tome    XX.  —  La    Conscience. — L'Orestie.  —  La    Tour    Saint- 
Jacques. 
Tome  XXL — Le  Verrou  de  la  Reine. — LTnvitation  k  la  valse. — 

Les  Forestiers. 
Tome  XXII. — L'Honneur  est  satisfait. — Le  Roman  d'EIvire. — 

L'Envers  d'une  conspiration. 
Tome  XXIII. — Le  Gentilhomme  de  la  Montagne. — La  Dame 

de  Monsoreau. 
Tome  XXIV. — Les  Mohicans  de  Paris. — Gabriel  Lambert. 
Tome  XXV. — Madame  de  Chamblay. — Les  Blancs  et  les  Bleus. 

— Simples  lettres  sur  I'Art  dramatique. 
(Maurel  adds :  "  Les  Freres  Corses,"  and  "  Pauline,"  but  there  is 

no  record  of  their  public  production.) 


APPENDIX  D. 

List  of  Books  Consulted  in  the  Preparation 
OF  THIS  Work 

The  following  list  gives  only  the  names  of  those  authorities  from 
whom  information  has  been  obtained,  i.e.  represents  about  half 
the  books  actually  consulted  : — 

About,  Edmond  (see  "Monument  ^  A.  Dumas"). 

Asseline,  A.,  "Courrier  d'a-u^xeioxs"  {L'Independance  Beige,  Nov. 

20,  1870). 
Audebrand,  P.,  "A.  Dumas  k  la  Maison  D'Or." 
Banville,  Theodore  de,  "  Mes  Souvenirs." 

"  Odes  Funambulesques." 
Beauvoir,  Roger  de,  "  Soupeurs  de  Mon  Temps,"  with  preface  by 

A.  Dumas. 
Blackwood's  Magazine,  1835-72  inclusive. 
"  Brown,  Oliver  Madox,"  by  J.  H.  Ingram. 

Bury,  Henry  Blaze  de,  "  A.  Dumas,  sa  vie,  son  temps,  son  ceuvre." 
Carpenter,  G.  C,  Forum,  June  1899,  on  "Will  Dumas's  novels 

last?" 
Castelar,  Emilio,  "  Byron  and  other  Essays  "  ("Alexandre  Dumas." 
"Chambers's  Encyclopaedia," edition  of  1868. 

New  edition  (article  on  Dumas /eV^  by  W.  E,  Henley). 
Chasles,  Philarete,  Portrait  d'A.  Dumas. 

Cherbuliez,  Joel,  Revue  Critique  des  Livres  Nouvelles,  1830-50. 
Chincholle,  C,  "  Dumas  aujourd'hui." 
Claretie,  J.  (see  "  Monument  \  A.  Dumas  "). 
Conscience,  H.,  "  Le  Conscrit." 
"  D'Artagnan,  Memoirs  of,"  Courtils  de  Sandraz. 
"  D'Artagnan  "  :  E.  D'Auriac.     Comparison  of  the  romance  with 

the  Memoires. 

878 


374  APPENDIX  D 

"D'Artagnan,  The  Real,"  Sir  H.  Maxwell,  Bart.  {Blackwood  s 
Magazitie,  June  1897). 

Dash,  Comtesse,  "  Memoires  d'autres." 

Deschanel,  E.,  "  A  pied  et  en  Wagon." 

Dowden,  Prof.  E.,  "  French  Literature." 

Du  Camp,  Maxime,  "  Souvenirs  Litteraires." 

Dumas  fils,  "  Le  Fils  Naturel "  (preface) ;  Introductory  letter  to 
"  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires,"  edition  de  luxe,  1894;  (see  also 
"  Monument  a  A.  Dumas  "). 

Dumas  pere^  Autobiographical  works — "  Mes  Memoires,"  "  Sou- 
venirs   Dramatiques,"    "  Causeries,"    "  Bric-k-Brac,"    '*  Les 
Morts   vont   vite,"    "  Les    Garibaldiens,"   etc. 
Romances. 
Travels. 

Historical  Studies. 
Plays. 

Ferry,  Gabriel,  "  Les  Dernieres  Annees  d'Alexandre  Dumas." 

Fiorentino,  P.  A.,  "  Comedies  et  Comediens." 

Fitzgerald,  P.,  "  Life  and  Adventures  of  Alexander  Dumas." 

Garnett,  Dr  Richard,  Introduction  to  "The  Black  Tulip." 

Gautier,  Theophile,  "  Histoire  de  I'art  Dramatique  " ;  "  Histoire 
du  Romantisme "  ;  "Belles  Femmes  de  Paris." 

Glinel,  C-,  "A.  Dumas  :  Notes  biographique  et  bibHographique." 

Goncourt,  Edmund  and  Jules,  "Journal." 

Gordon-Cumming,  R.  C,  "The  Adventures  of  a  Lion  Hunter  in 
South  Africa." 

Gozlan  L.,  "Almanach  Comique,"  1848:  article  on  the  Chateau 
"  Monte  Cristo." 

Grisier,  "Les  Armes  et  le  Duel."     (Preface  by  A.  Dumas.) 

Hayward,  Abraham,  "  Biographical  Essays."     ("  A.  Dumas.") 

Heine,  H.,  "  Letters  on  the  French  Stage." 

Henley,  W.  E.,  "Views  and  Reviews." 

Hugo,  C,  "  Les  hommes  de  I'Exil." 

"  Hugo  V.  au  Temoins." 

Hugo,  v.,  "  Les  Contemplations." 

L' Illustration,  1846-7. 

Janin,  J.,  "Alexandre  Dumas." 


APPENDIX  D  ;375 

Karr,  Alphonse,  "  Les  Guepes  "  (periodical). 

Lang,  Andrew,  "Essays  in  Little";  "Letters  to  Dead  Authors." 

Communication  to  the  writer. 
Lanson,  G.,  "  Histoire  de  la  Litteraire  Frangaise." 
Larousse,  P.,  "Grand  Dictionnaire  Frangais." 
Matthews,  Prof.,  Brander  "  Frencli  Dramatists." 
Maurel,  A.,  "  Les  Trois  Dumas." 
"  Monument  h.  Alexandre  Dumas."     Speeches  by  MM.  About, 

Claretie,  etc.  :  Introduction  by  Duma.s  Ji/s. 
Mousqjietaire,  Le,  Journal  edited  by  Dumas. 
Nisard,  D.,  "  Histoire  de  I'Ecole  Romantique." 
Nodier,  Marie  Mennessier,  "  Charles  Nodier." 
Parigot,  H.,  "Dumas   Pere"  ("Les  Grands   Ecrivains");    "Le 

Drame  d'Alexandre  Dumas." 
Parran,  A.,  "  Les  Romantiques"  (Bibliographical  notes). 
Pellissier,  G.,  "  Le  Mouvement  Litteraire  au  XIX"  Siecle." 
Pifteau,  B.,  "Dumas  en  manches  de  Chemises." 
Pollock,  W.  H.,  "Alex.  Tixxmsis"  {Nineteenth  Century,  Oct.  iSSo). 
Quarterly  Review,  1890. 
Querard,  J.  M.,  "  Supercheries  Litteraires." 
Reade,  Charles,  "The  Eighth  Commandment." 
Romand,  H.,  "A.  Dumas"  {Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  Jan.  15, 

1834)- 

Rossetti,  W.  M.     Communication  to  the  writer. 

Sainte-Beuve,  C.  A.,  "  Causeries  du  Lundi." 

Saintsbury,  Geo.,  Prof.,  "Essays";  "History  of  French  Litera- 
ture." 

Sand,  George :  Correspondence. 

Sechan,  "Souvenirs  d'un  Homme  de  Theatre." 

Spectator,  December  17th,  1870. 

Stevenson,  R.  L.,  "Memories  and  Portraits";  "Letters  to  his 
family  and  friends." 

1  "  Stones  of  Paris,"  B.  E.  and  C.  M.  Martir.. 

^  This  book  gives  interesting  details  respecting  Dumas's  various 
residences  in  Paris,  and  the  localities  mentioned  in  connection  wih 
the  leading  romances— the  scene  of  the  quadruple  duel  in  "  Les  Trois 
Mousquetaires,"  etc. 


376  APPEISDIX  D 

Swinburne,  A.  C,  Essays  ("Charles  Reade").     Communication 

to  the  writer. 
Thackeray,  W.  M.,  "  Paris  Sketch-Book" ;  "Roundabout  Papers" 

("A  Peal  of  Bells ") ;    Letters  to  the  Revue  Britannique, 

1847. 
Trelawney,  "  Adventures  of  a  Younger  Son." 
Vandam,  A.,  "  An  Englishman  in  Paris." 
Villemessant,  "  Memoires  d'un  Journaliste. 
Walkley,  A.  B.,  "Playhouse  Impressions." 
Weiss,  J.  J    "  Le  Theatre  et  les  Mceurs." 


INDEX 

{For  Dumas' s  dramatic  iVorks  see  "  Plays  ;  "for  his  other  Writings 
see  "  Works.") 


About,  E.,  ioi,  147,  199,  247,  291, 

,3°5;  342 
L'Amiral  (Emilie  Cordier),  108-10 
Asseline,  A.,  137 
Audebrand,  P.,  97 
Auger,  H.,  198 


B 


Balzac,  147,  157-8,  161,  219,  274, 

296,  305,  316 
Banville,  T.  de,  82,  135 
Barante,  61,  186,  188 
Belgium,  Dumas's  tour  in,  71 
Beranger,  17,  129,  162,  265,313 
Berri,  Duchesse  de,  46-7 
Bocage,  P.,  231,  233,  245,  247 
Brandes,  G. ,  278 
Bret  Harte,  326 
Brohan  (Mdlle.  A.),  112,  164 
Brussels  (Dumas's  stay  in),  94-5 
Bryce,  Prof.,  333 
Buloz,  25,  1589 
Bury,   B.   de,  92,  98,   141,   143,  146, 

149.    153-5,   157,  224-5,   243,   261, 

275-6,  300,  310,  337,  340 
Byron,  23,  26,  60,  104 


Carpenter,   G.   C.,  206,  211,  241, 

296,  322,  334 
Cassagnac,  G.  de,  163,  282,  vii 
Castelar,  E.,  200,  2S6,  291,  313,  341 
Chaffault,  du,  92-3,  134,  167 
Chambers's  Encyclopaedia,  275-6,  viii 
Charles  X.,  26,  34,  40,  42,  46,  69 


Chateaubriand,  66,  162,  190,  265 

Cherbuliez,  J.,  191,  266 

Cherville,  ConUe  de,  249,  251,  254 

Chincholle,  C,  242 

Cholera,  visitation,  62 

Claretie,  J.,  331 

Comedie  P'rani^aise,   28-9,   3'»  37>  S^j 

55.  69,  71,  86,  98-9,  118,  127,  151, 

154,  158,  165 
Conscience,  H.  ("Le  Conscrit  "),  239 
Cooper,  Fenimore,  24,  157,  191 
Corneille,  19,  27-8,  76,  127,  131,  156 


D 


DameauxCamelias,  La,  144-5,154, 

314 
D'Artagnan,  Maxwell  on,  201 
"  D'Artagnan,  Memoires  de,"  201-5 
Dash,  Comtesse,  72 
Davy  de  la  Pailleterie,   Marquis  A., 

4,  6 
Delacroix,  23,  59,  1 19 
Delavigne,  C,  17,  23,  25,  36,  75,  313 
De  Leuven,  A.,  16-7,  19,  24,  112 
De  Musset,  A.,  35,  56,  59,  142,  159, 

162,  252,  265 
Deschanel,  E. ,  95 
Dickens,  C,  157,  330 
Dorval,  Marie,  50,  52,  54«,  94,   170, 

244,  265 
Dowden,  Prof.  E,,  278 
Doyle,  Sir  A.  C-,  227,  326 
Du  Camp,  M.,  114-5,  126,  132-4,  140, 

263,  301 
Dumas  : — 

^'ils,  35,  39,  57,  72,  76,  S3,  109, 
112,  121-3,  132-3,  142-6,  152-4, 
165,  173.  177-S0,  208,  210,  247, 
312,  315,  331,  340,  347-8 

377 


378 


INDEX 


Dumas — continued 

General,  4,  6-9,  20,  169,  178,  185, 

247.  340 
Louise-Cessette,  4,  6 
Madame  {n^e  Labouret),  4,    13,  21, 

32,  39,  69-70,  163,  185 
Madame  {uc'e  Ferrier),  72-3,  159 
Madame  (/iVj),  145,  and  ded. 
Marie-Alexandre,  50,  72,  109,  121, 

Pere,  his  parentage,  4  ;  birth,  4,  8  ; 
boyhood,  9-15 ;  youth,  15-21  ; 
goes  to  Paris,  21  ;  early  dramatic 
successes,  32-8;  first  love-affair, 
38-9;  marriage,  73-3;  "  Trois 
Mousquetaires "  and  "Monte 
Cristo, "  76-8  ;  his  theatre,  86, 
93-4  ;  his  chateau,  80,  87,  93-4  ; 
exile  in  Brussels,  94-5 ;  "  Le 
Mousquetaire,"  96,  97  ;  visit  to 
England,  101-5  ;  with  Garibaldi, 
113-15  ;  illness,  120-3  ;  death, 
I23  ;  burial  at  Villiers-Cotterets, 
123.     Statue  to,  342« 


Ferry,  G.,  90,  106,  116,  171,  173, 

255-6 
Feuillet,  O.,  252 
Fiorentino,    P.    A.,    77,     161,     192, 

215,  259,  266,  292,  310 
Fitzgerald,  P.,  6,  81,  87,   115,    169, 

223,  259,  282,  viii,  ix 
Florence  (visit  to),  73,  76 
Foy,  General,  22,  267 
France,  travels  in  the  south  of,  67 
Frankfort  (visit  to),  120 


Gaillardet,  63-4 

Garibaldi,  II3-15,  251 

Garnett,    Dr,    263,    274,   279«,    332, 

"  336,  338-9.  340 
Gautier,  T.,  76,  194,  291 
Girardin,  Madame  de,  85, 1 16, 142,  300 
Glinel,  C.,  108,  155W,  266-7,  277,  x 
Goethe,  27,  60,  157,  295,  312-13 
Goncourts,  The,  202,  330 
Gorki,  M.,  327 


Grisier,  147,  192 
Guizot,  84,  171 


H 


Harel,  48,  62-s 

Hay  ward.  A.,  99,  273,  296,  329,  338 
Heine,  H.,  68,  162,  310,  332 
Henley,  W.  E.,   146,  236,  243,  276, 

2S2,  312,  317,  343,  viii 
Homer,  156,  335 
Hugo,  C.,  112,  165 
Hugo,  v.,  23,  35,  38,  52,  62,  69,  75, 

94-5,98,  112,  135,156,  162-5,  170, 

172,     180,     183,     202,    267,     2S3, 

310-12,  318,  339-40 


"  Indipendant"  (Journal),  115 
Italy,  travels  in,  67 


J 


Jacquot  ("E.  de  Mirecourt"),  81-3, 

125,  194,  215,  276,  341,  vii,  viii 
Janin,  J.,  63,  78,  III-2,  162,  331 


K 

Karr,  A.  ("  Les  Guepes"),  191 
Kean,  E.,  26 


Lafayette,  Gen.,  41-2,  47,  59,  162 
La  Fayette  (Madame  de),  205,  2 10- 11 
Lamartine,   23,  120,    162,    1S4,   283, 

339 
Lang,  A.,  88,  loi,  131,  133,  156,  166, 

199,    201,    215,   221,  227,    291-2, 

296,  302-3,  320,  335,  ix 
Lanson,  G. ,  278 
Lassagne,  25,  183 
Lebay,  Madame,  38-9 
Lecomte,  J.,  159-60 
Lectures  (Dumas's),  119-20 
Legion  of  Htmour,  Dumas's,  68 
Lemaitre  59,  68 

Letters  (from  Dumas),  109-12,  145-6 
Louis  XVIIL,  14,  26 


INDEX 


379 


Louis  Philippe  (at  first  Due  d'Orleans), 
22,  31,  33,  36,  40,  46-7,  68,  83,  86, 
89.  90,  93,  ix 


M 


Maison  D'Or  (Dumas  at),  97 

Mallefille,  134,  197,  266 

Maquet,   A.,    85,    95-6,     135-6,    195, 

205,  215-7,  222,  226-9,  231,  236-8, 

245«,  290,  292,  viii 
"  Marion  Delornie,"  52,  56,  163 
Mariinsky,  244,  248 
Mars,  Mdlle.,  16,  32,  52,  59 
Matthews,    Brander,    287,    289,   305, 

312,  32S-9,  33S,  ix 
Maurel,  A.,  250 
Melingue,  112,  136,  245 
Merimee,  P.,  162,  22 Im 
Mery,  L.,  112,  193,  200 
Meurice,  P.,  89,   112,  198,  220,  228, 

246 
Michelet,  J.,  241,  315,  340 
"^Jirecourt,  E.  de  "  (j^(S  Jacquot) 
"  Mois,  le  "  (Journal),  90 
Moliere,  27,  76,  2S8-9,  295 
"  Monte  Cristo  and  his  wife,"  214;/ 
Monte  Cristo,  Chateau  of,  80-1,  87-9, 

93,  94,  140,  265 
"  Monte  Cristo  "  (Journal),  loi 
Monte  Cristo  (Visit  to  Isle  of),  73 
Montpensier,  Duke  of,  78,  83,  85-6-7, 

9° 
"  Mourir  pour  la  patrie"  (song),  91 

"  Mousquetaire,   Le,"  96,    loi,    137, 

164,  2I4« 


N 


Naples  (Dumas  at),  1 14-16,  140 
Napoleon,  7,  9,  14,  103,  240,  248,  262 
Napoleon  III.,  66,  73,  90,  118,  122, 

295 
Nisard,  D.,  281,  298,  305 
Nodier,   C,   23,    34-5,   65,   HI,    162, 

2,-5.  24''',  256 
Nodier,  Marie,  34-5 
Norval,  G.  de,  258 


o 


Ori.kans,  Duke  of  (at  first  Duke  of 
Chartres),  68,  70,  75,  90,  171,  251 


Parigot,  IL,  6,  41,49,  190,  202,  210, 
211,  221,  225,  236,  243,  258,  259, 
267,275-6,  27S,  305.315.  X 

Parran,  A.,  244 

Pellisbier,  G.,  278 

Pifteau,  B.,  128,  I76«,  253 

Plays  :— 

L'Alchimiste,  267 
Antony,.  23,    32,    49-57,     60,     74, 
94,    172,    176,    185,   284-S,    316, 
3I7« 
Angele,  59,  74,  185 
Caligula,   68-9,  72,    158,    189,  267, 

284,  3i7« 
Catherine  Howard,  68, 103,  298 
Charles  ^'II.  et  ses  Grands  Vassaux, 

56-7,  267 
La  Chasse  et  1' Amour,  24,  151 
Chevalier  de  Maison-Rouge,  91 
Christine,  28-30,  37-8,  49,  68,  176M, 

313 
Le  Comte  Hermann,  94,    153,  171 

235,  2S6-7 
La  Conscience,  98,  164,  287 
Les  Demoiselles  de  St  Cyr,  71,  99, 

162 
Don  Juan  de  Marana,  68,  284,  286, 

3i7« 
Halifax,  153,  226 
Hamlet  (translation  of),  89 
Henri  III.  et  sa  Cour,  30-34,  36, 

163,  184,  217,  220,  284-5 
L'Invitation  a  la  Vake,  lOl 
Kean,  68,  103,  298,  3I7« 
Mademoiselle  de  Belle-Isle,  71,  151, 

170,  229 
Une  Mariage  sous  Louis   Quinze, 

71 
Le  Marbrier,  98,  287 
Le  Mari  de  la  Veuve,  62 
Monte-Cristo,  94,  218 
La  Noce  et  L'Enterrement,  25 
Napi^leon,  48 
Richard  Darlington,   56-9,   74,  94, 

103,  176,  220 


380 


INDEX 


riays — continued 

Romulus,  98,  154 

Teresa,  59 

La  Tour  de  Nesle,  63-4,  74,  184, 
284,  286,  290,  316 

Les  Trois  Mousquetaires,  136,  152 
( For-  full  list  of  plays  see  Appendix  C. ) 
Pollock,  W.  H.,  63-4,  127,  132,  275, 

295,  ix 
Poetry  by    Dumas,    50-1,    56-7,    70, 

267-8 
Porchcr,  139,  159 
"Psyche,  Le,"  25,  267 
Puys,  121-3 


"  Quarterly  Review,"  277 
Querard,  228,  viii,  ix 


R 


Racine,  28,  36,  156,  295 

Reade,   C,  96,    195,    215,   273,  294, 

339 
"Revue  des  deux  Mondes,"  25,  61, 

158,  288 
Rhine,  Dumas's  travels  on,  71 
Romand,  H.  (on  Dumas),  176 
Rossetti,  D.  G.,  233,  316-17 
Rossetti,  W.  M.,  233,  317 
Rossini,  59,  153,  162 
Rostand,  315 
Rousseau,  129 
Russia  (Dumas's  tour  in),  106-8 


Sainte-Beuve,  C.  a.,  35,  267,  280 

St  Germain,  89 

Saintsbury,  Prof.,  188,  192,  196,  206, 

219,  227,  250,  252,  280,  291,  306, 

321,  328,  333 
Sale  of  Dumas's  work,  122 
Sand,    George,    142,    158,    162,    230, 

274.  314 
Sardou,  V.,  313,  315 
Schiller,  17,  19,  27,  28,  153,  157,  285, 

311,  313 
Schlegel,  A.  W.,  248 


Scott,  Sir  W.,  23,  26,  28,  61,   104, 
133.  157.  186,  189,  190,  222,  254, 
261,  293-4-5,  3^2,,  317-26,  327,  334 
Scribe,  E.,  73-5,  133,  162 
Shakespeare,   16,    19,    26,    27-8,   104, 
153,  156-7,  209,  223,  265,  285,  287- 
.8-9, 295,  3",  3 12, 315,  334,  336,  340 
Sicily  (Dumas  in),  114 
Sienkiewicz,  H.,  191,  322 
Soissons  (Dumas's  exploit  at),  42-6 
"Son  of  Porthos,  The,"  214;? 
Soulie,  F.,  28,  37,  162 
Spain,  Dumas's  visit  to,  83-4 
Stevenson,    R.    L. ,   125,    168,   207-8, 
213,  276,  296,  303,  306,  327,  340, 

345 
"  Stones  of  Paris,"  1 16  and  app.  D 
Sue,  E.,  59,  216 
Swinburne,  A.  C,  162,  184,  234,  307, 

316,  340 
Switzerland,  Dumas's  travels  in,  66 
"Sylphe,  La"  (poem),  268 


Talma,  16,  19,  32 

Taylor,  Baron,  29,  260 

Tennyson,  186 

Thackeray,    W.    M.,    68,    157,    191, 

196,  201,  207,  293,  316,  326 
Theatre  (Dumas's),  86-7,    93-4,    1 19, 

218 
Thierry,  A.,  62,  184,  186 


U 


United  States,  Dumas  and,  116-7 


Vandam,    A.,    89;;,    loo,    141,    14S, 

1 76M 
Vendee,  La,  46-7 
A'ictoria  (Queen),  99 
Victor  Emmanuel,  115 
Villemessant,  76-8,  99,  132,  140,  144, 

344 
Villers-Ccttercts,  123,  167,   170,  237, 

239,  240,  243,  247,  254 
Virgil,  157 


INDEX 


381 


w 

"  Waverley,"  323-4 

W ,  Melanie,  49 

Works   by  Dumas,   or  attributed    to 

him  : — 

Acte,  190,  194 

Amaury,  198 

Ange  Pitou,  10,  236-8 

Ascanio,  219 

Une  Amazone,  252 

Une  Aventure  d'amour,  I42,  252 

Aventures  de  Lyderic,  194 

Aventures  de  John  Davys,  191 

Le  Batard  de  Mauleon,  227 

Black,  248 

Les  Blancs  et  les  Bleus,  256 

La  Bouillie  de  la  Comtesse  Berthe, 

257 
La  Boule  de  Neige,  244 
Bric-a-Brac,  154,  228,  265 
Un  Cadet  de  famille,  251 
Le  Capitaine  Pamphile,  193 
Le  (^apitaine  Paul,  191 
Le  Capitaine  Richard,  247 
Catherine  Blum,  238,  240 
Causeries,  loi,  109,  167,  215,  220, 

265 
Cecile,  197 

La  Chasse  au  Chastre,  193,  258 
Le  Chasseur  de  Sauvagine,  249 
Le  Chateau  d'Eppstein,  194 
Le  Chevalier  d'Harmental,  195,  335 
Le  Chevalier  de  Maison-Rouge,  224 
Le  Collier  de  la  Reine,  231 
La  Colombe,  255 
Les  Compagnonsde  Jehu,  103,  147, 

217,  246 
Le  Comte  de  Monte-Cristo,   76-8, 

2i4-9>  233,  245,274 
Le  Comte  de  IMoret,  255 
La  Comtesse  de  Charny,  237-8,  241 
La  Comtesse  de  Salisbury,  188 
Conscience  I'Innocent,  10,  238-40 
Creation      et      Redemption       (Le 

Docteur  mysterieux  et   La  Fille 

du  Marquis),  242 
Crimes  Cclebres,  266 
La  Dame  de  Monsoreau,  226 
Les  Deux  Diane,  228 
Dieu  dispose,  234 
Le  Drame  de  '93,  261 
Emma  Lyonna,  254 


Works — continued 

La  Femme  au  collier  de  velours,  235 

Fernande,  197 

Une  Y\\\q  du  Regent,  196 

Le  Fils  du  For9at,  249 

Les  Freres  Corses,  220,  223 

Gabriel  Lambert,  220 

Les  Garibaldiens,  263 

Gaule  et  France,  261 

Georges,  197 

Un  Gil- Bias  en  Californie,  108 

Les   Grands   Hommes  en  robe  de 

Chambre : — 

Cesar,  261 

Henri  IV.,  261 

Louis  Xin.  et  Richelieu,  261 
La  Guerre  des  Femmes,  220,  222 
Ilistoire  des  Bourbons,  253 
Ilistoire  de  Louis  I'hilippe,  261 
Histoire  d'un  casse-noisette,  258 
Histoire  de  mes  Betes,  227,  265,  319 
L'Homme  aux  contes,  258 
L'Horoscope,  248 
L'lle  de  Feu,  250 
Impressions  de  Voyage  : — 

En  Suisse,  189,  258 

Une  Annee  a  Plorence,  259 

Les  Bords  du  Rhin,  258 

Le  Capitaine  Arena,  259 

Le  Caucase,  260 

Le  Corricolo,  253,  259 

Le  Midi  de  la  France,  193,  258 

De  Paris  a  Cadix,  84,  259 

Quinze  jours  au  Sinai',  260 

En  Russie,  260 

Le  Speronare,  259 

Le  Veloce,  84,  259 

La  Villa  Palmieri,  259 
Ingenue,  233,  245 
Isaac  Laquedem,  238,  243 
Isabel   de   Baviere,    61,    158,    186, 

188,  288,  2S9 
Jacquot  sans  Oreilles,  194 
Jehanne  la  Pucelie,  261 
Louis  XIV.  et  son  Siecle,  261 
Louis  XV.  et  sa  Cour,  261 
Louis  XVI.  et  la  Revolution,  261 
Les  Louves  de  Machecoul,  249 
Madame  de  Chaniblay,  251 
La  Maison  de  Glace,  250 
Maitre  Aclam,  le  Calabrais,  192-3 
Le  Maitre  d'armes,  192 
Les  Mariages  du  Pere  Olifus,  233 


382 


INDEX 


Works  — contimted 
Les  Medicis,  261 
Mes  Memoiics,   10,  41,  48,  51,  58, 

63,  85,   129,   131,  157,  172,  234, 

238,  263,  285,  288,  318 
Memoires  de  Garibaldi,  251 
Menioires  de  Talma,  266 
Memoires  d'Horace,  265 
Memoires  d'un  Medecin,  85,  228 
Le  Meneur  de  loups,  247 
Les  Mille-et-un  P'antomes,  231,  242 
I^es  Moliicans  de  Paris,  245 
Monte-Cribto  {see  Comte  de) 
Les  Morts  vont  vite,  265 
Napoleon,  261 

Nouvelles  Contemporaines,  24,  184 
Une  Nuit  a  Florence,  252 
Olympe  de  Cleves,  236 
Le  Page  du  Due  de  Savoie,  246 
Parisiens  et  Provinciaux,  254 
Le  Pasteur  d'Ashbourne,  238,  244 
Pauline,  189 
Pascal  Bruno,  189 
Un  Pays  inconnu,  260 
Le  Pere  Gigoone,  238,  257 
Le  Pere  La  Ruine,  251 
La  Princesse  de  Monaco,  245 
Les  Quarante-Cinq,  166,  230,  233 
La  Regence,  261 
La  Reine  Margot,  220-2,  304 
La  Route  de  Varennes,  262 
Le  Salteador,  244 
Salvator,  245 
La  San  Felice,  103,  253,  294 


Works — continued 

Souvenirs  d' Antony,  184-5 
Souvenirs  d'une  Favorite,  254 
Souvenirs    dramatiques,    86,     161, 

265,  314 
Les  Stuarts,  261 
Sultanetta,  248 
Sylvandire,  198 
La  Terreur  Prussienne,  .20,  2^6n, 

262 
Le  Testament  de  M.  Chauvelin,  50 

Les  Trois  Mousquetaires,  76-8,  122, 
173,  184,  199-208,  212,  214,  217, 
233,  274,  323-4,  326,  333 
Le  Trou  de  I'Enfer,  234,  248 
La  Tulipe  Noire,  231,  234,  276 
Le  Vicomte  de  Bragelonne,  207-8, 

211-13,233,  298 
La  Vie  au  Desert,  251 
Une  Vie  d'Artiste,  245 
Vingt  Ans  Apres,  208,  212,  298 
(/i^r  other  works,  see  Appendix  C) 
Weyman,  221,  326 


Yonne  (Dumas's  candidature  in  the), 
91-3 


Zola,  297,  330,  340 


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